


Acid Rain

by VoltageStone



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, KiGo, Slow Burn-ish, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-30 22:05:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13960989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoltageStone/pseuds/VoltageStone
Summary: When one mission goes array, Kim Possible realizes that crime isn't always black and white. As she delves deeper into this battle between different shades of dangerous, Kim realizes that she, herself, isn't all that good. In fact, she finds herself in an ocean of acid rain.





	1. Wet Feet

**_Acid Rain_ **

**_How long can one soak in acid, especially if it's rained into their flesh constantly?  
How long can one be free from its ill-nature, especially when they admire the way lemons nip their tongue?_ **

* * *

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

Palms smacked against the edge as nails dug into rough edges of the building. She grunted before heaving herself up, giving a long, exhausted breath once hands and knees crunched against the gravel. Fat, warm droplets of water streamed down her arms, drenching her black turtle-neck. Her fingers pulled the rim of the neck - nights like these, she grew to hate her old attire. "Kim!" Immediately, she turned towards a dark figure above, waving frantically. "Are you alright?" he called.

Kim eased a smile, shouting, "Yeah! I'm alright! I just slipped!"

There was a weak "okay" before the lean, awkward figure hurled himself over, barely making the same slip that she had. As he grunted, picking himself up, a flash of lighting struck behind them. Rain still roared in their ears, forcing the two closer. "So were did Wade say to go again?" the blond shivered, rubbing his biceps as Kim glanced at her watch.

"It's only a couple of- _Shit_." The watch's screen flickered. "It's not getting good enough connection with the freakin' storm," she hissed as the illuminated blue light ceased to dance. "Okay, okay...it's only a few more buildings away. It should be -" Kim looked up, eyes wavering towards a tall, red structure - its features flashing with the lightening - with glowing orange windows at the very top. Several antennas were stationed at the top, pointed against the horrid storm. With her gloved, drenched hand, she grumbled, "That one."

The blond narrowed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. "How are we gonna get up there? We'd have to jump -" he counted the number of windows, waving his finger "- four floors!"

"Wade said that the building is abandoned because it'll be going through renovations in a week or two," Kim spoke loudly over the thunder. "So, we'd be able to jump into the closes window and use the stairs all the way up. Which will end up being good since they probably won't notice as easily." He nodded firmly once. "You ready Ron?"

He glanced to his side. "Yup..." Kim chuckled as Ron gulped nervously with a meek smile. "Totally ready for this," he said, his voice cracking.

Both jolted in unison, springing forth along the slippery gravel. The next building was easily crossed, the two only having to jump over a slim alleyway. Rain splattered on both of their faces as they faced the red building. Kim strolled towards the edge, swearing quietly: Separating the two buildings was a street - one-sided thankfully - with few cars blurring passed. Running a hand through her flaming red locks, she studied the series of fire-escapes racing down along the sides of the building.

Ron sighed once he jogged to Kim's side, his pocket rustling before a small, pink head peered out. The small critter tittered before Ron murmured, "No, not yet. It's still raining." With that, the naked mole rat shuffled back inside the relatively drier pocket. "Are we jumping it?"

Kim shook her head. "We'd break something if we tried..." she muttered.

"Hook?"

"Hook," she confirmed. Raising her left forearm, Kim raised her sleek, grey gauntlet, tensing as a wire shot towards the railing of the stairs above. She jerked her chin towards the window, Ron raising his own arm. His own grapple caught the stairs below, earning a groan from the blond. "Come on, we got to get over there before anything happens," Kim said. With vigor, both swung towards the red building, grunting at the impact. Ron wriggled his way up to his platform and Kim her own.

"So what do you think is going on here, then? Shego stealing something? Drakken planning to nuke some tower?"

Kim shrugged. "Wade was being real cryptic about it. In all honesty, I don't think he really knows. Just said that the Global Justice needed me over here _immediately_ ," she answered, waiting as Ron climbed the stairs.

"Doesn't say that much. They normally want you wherever there's somethin' going on immediately," he mumbled. "So what's the big deal with this then?" Kim grunted as she clawed at a boarded window. Ron accompanied her, breaking some of the boards in.

As she lifted the frame, she muttered, "Well, all he said was that they're sending files through the antennas here."

"How'd they get power?" Ron furrowed his brows as his voice dropped to a whisper. Their steps crept inside, the dusty floors empty of any furniture. The blond glanced over the small, crumpled pieces of newspaper littered to the corners as Kim peeked her head out of one of the doorways.

"Probably some help if they don't have the technology," she stated.

"Help? Since when do they get help?" Kim arched a brow, still attempting to navigate throughout the floors. Ron squirmed briefly as the small, naked rat scurried out of his large pocket, sitting on his shoulder. "Hey Rufus," he breathed, patting his small head.

"They're sending files with the antennas to somebody else, that's all we know." Kim smiled, turning towards her friend. "This way, I found the stairs."

He followed after her, the ginger pushing the exit door open. "So, wait, that's _all_ we know? What if they aren't doing anything wrong? Like, what if-" he peered down the many floors below him, staring at the bottom floor. He gulped before continuing, "What if they're just crashing at this place and... Never mind. Did they find out what the files were?"

"That's the thing," Kim murmured, "they don't know so I don't know what we're looking for. Wade said that the Global Justice _did_ try to look into them but couldn't."

"You mean it's coded?"

"More like when they tried, the files gave the forty-seven computers in the room a virus for not getting the password right," Kim said grimly.

Ron felt his heart skip a beat. "Shit," he barely whispered, glancing towards his small companion; the look was mirrored. "I'd hate to know what's on those files."

"I'd hate to know what things that those files can _do_ , especially in the wrong hands." Ron nodded his agreement. At the highest and last floor, Kim glanced towards her side. "Well, let's go then. Think we should sneak up on them to catch some of what they're doing?"

"Think so..." As Kim gently pushed the door open, Ron felt his heart hammer. It always had done during missions, especially ones such as these - when nobody knew shit. Clutching his hip, he felt his holster pop, the trusty pistol against his palm. Rarely did anything _drastic_ happen, though Ron felt safer knowing there was some ounce of protection on his side. Their steps squeaked along the floor, small puddles glowing in the neon _EXIT_ sign's light. Kim grimaced: She hated whenever her feet got wet before a mission. Wet feet meant having cold feet. And cold feet meant an unfavorable mission.

As the light flashed maliciously behind them through the hallway's window, she felt it would be one of _those_ missions.

Nevertheless, they pushed on, their shadows masked with the dark walls. Kim turned towards Ron, barely able to see his silhouette in the dark. As an apparent effort to help, another flash of lightening lit the hall when she nodded, a crack of thunder following ominously - it wasn't far. Ron knew that one nod and whispered, "Go Rufus, see what's happening." The little critter squeaked before pouncing off of his shoulder, scurrying off. The duo followed not all that far behind, careful not to make any noise. Even if they didn't hear anybody else, it didn't mean that the rooms wouldn't hold anyone. Rufus slowed after passing a couple of doors, blinking through the wall. He completely halted in front of a door - cracked open - waiting for Ron and Kim. "Looks like he's found them," he whispered. Clearing his throat, Ron then commanded, "Take a little looksee and try to stall them. We'll come in when we hear trouble and stop them, okay?"

The little critter saluted him before slipping around the corner. Ron sighed, one that was echoed by Kim. He looked to his left, the ginger murmuring, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"I had a bad feeling since you slipped on that building over there," he replied.

"Yeah, well, I've had this since Wade answered... There's just something off."

"What do you mean?"

Kim shrugged, mumbling, "Why are they _here_? In the middle of a busy intersection. I just don't...I don't understand."

The building seemed to have trembled once something - something big - had crashed within the room. Both the doctor and his sidekick screeched in a surprised rage thereafter, Shego snarling, "GET THIS FUCKING RAT OUT!"

"Time to go in," Kim grumbled. The door slammed open, Ron whipping his pistol out of its holster as Kim clenched her fists. Rufus scurried back onto Ron's shoulder while the duo stared at the criminals heatedly. The room was lit with a flickering lamp on a small stool, a laptop set beside it on top of a wooden chair. Against an opposite wall with a lone window there lay a broken chair. "I would stand still if I were you," Kim folded her arms as Ron cocked his gun towards the two. A woman stood in her black and green cat-suit beside a crazed-looking man with a long jagged scar running along his face, clad with a dark, saturated blue coat; they were two to be obvious in a crowd. Kim ordered, "Get the computer."

"I wouldn't do that, now children," the doctor murmured calmly, his raspy voice a hard warning.

Ron lowered his gun, pointing it towards the black, heavy boots of the man before him. "Why not? We got a call and we came here, to..." he paused turning towards Kim. "What is this place?"

" _Anyway_ ," the ginger pressed on, "why not?"

A languid smile spread across the doctor's face, presenting strong, white, crooked teeth. "Because this, right here, isn't just _our_ game anymore. In fact, this isn't one for little kids to play," Dr. Drakken hummed, sliding his gaze towards the woman. "Get them off my ass while I get this done."

As his fingers began to glide across the keyboard, Shego frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Making it so that we get the job _done_. Now get them off my ass!"

She huffed, her hands burning in a vibrant green light. As it flickered in her hands, she growled, "Well, well, pumpkin, decided to pop by? You know, it's not a casino yet..."

"Could say the same for you," the heroine countered, "but we're not waiting around just to gamble, are we?"

"Maybe not you," Shego breathed as a fist hurtled towards her head. In a matter of seconds, Kim found herself knocked into the wall, struggling against Shego's sparking fist. As they continued to brawl, green sparks thrashing against the ceiling or walls, Shego snapped, "What's taking so long?! Are we going to bust on out of here before the damn police come?"

"As of now -" the doctor swung and socked Ron in the shoulder "- I am making accommodations for the weather!"

"What sort of accommodations?" Shego growled, grunting as she slammed into the opposite wall. She tussled about before ramming Kim into the floor, gripping the girl's wrists tightly. " _Drakken_?"

Kicking Ron to the side roughly, the man continued to work efficiently. He winced at the screen, reading, _"Disengage Protection 01001110101?"_

"Not one that I'm good with," he grumbled, slamming his thumb against the _"enter"_ key. Tearing his eyes away from the loading screen - the bar almost to its maximum - Dr. Drakken hissed at the hero. "Kid, you best get out of this mess before you start drowning in it," he warned.

"You'll pay for whatever shit you're pulling now," he spat before scrambling towards the computer.

"Don't touch that, I swear to you!" the doctor yelled, stomping on Ron's armed hand. The pistol's shot rang throughout the room, the bullet imbedded in a wall as the blond grimaced. Even with his hand throbbing, Ron continued to squirm towards the chair. Before he could reach the chair, a jarring force hit him bluntly on the side. Shego stood above him with Dr. Drakken, her hands burning scornfully. Kim, on the other side of the room, hurled herself towards the trio. Shego was tackled to the ground with a vicious snarl, all while Dr. Drakken hovered over the chair, leaving Ron to stagger to his feet.

The computer chimed a strange tune in the mist of the chaotic struggle.

"It's done," the man grinned. "Shego! We're getting out of here!" The woman turned before hissing, clutching her jaw.

"You _bitch_ ," she snapped, her fist connecting forcefully towards Kim's jaw. As the heroine groaned, clutching her mouth, Dr. Drakken snatched the computer from the chair, hurling it towards the wall. It smashed miserably, toppling against the floor. Shego - meanwhile - shattered the lone window in the room, the dark storm brewing outside. "Come on!" She waved the man over before slipping out of the window, Dr. Drakken following.

Ron wobbled against he wall, gripping his shoulder tersely. His eyes remained on the broken device on the floor, Rufus scurrying towards Kim as she got to her feet. The blond gingerly picked up the computer, arching a brow. "Uh...I don't think this can be fixable, you think?"

Kim moved her jaw around furrowing her brows towards the computer. "Wade might be able to look at this... Was there a hard-drive with it?"

"Don't think so. Maybe they had a CD but..." He tipped the now poor excuse of a laptop over, shaking it roughly before a sliver disc slid out and onto the floor. "Oh frick."

It shuddered on the wooden floor, Kim picking the CD up. "This could've had the files...or maybe something with it. We can run it through Wade with the computer," Kim mumbled.

"Yeah...I guess."

The ginger chewed the inside of her lip, tapping the disc lightly in her hands. She shook her head, watching the lightening crackle through the shattered window. Rain splattered against the floor as they climbed out of the broken exit, and they had assumed that a puddle would be a result - they weren't wrong.

**. . .**

There were some weeks after missions that the sores would feel vigorating, in an odd sense. With others, the pains would shoot through her body at uncomfortable moments if there was _one_ movement not to her liking.

Kim found out that the latter was true when she dropped her pencil, having to bend down to pick it up. Her hips ached and her ribs hurt. Though, it was her jaw that was the most painful; she found that no matter how many times she'd break a rib, jaws were the worst. The only thing worse than a jaw was the nose. God damn everything to hell if the nose was broken.

She sighed before sliding into the passenger seat, sliding the buckle over herself. Once it had clicked, her mother - Ann - had settled onto the driver's seat. "Alright, time for school," she hummed cheerfully, adding with a sour note, "you do have that test, right?"

"Yeah," Kim nodded, "for calculus."

"Well, at least you like math more than I did," Ann mumbled, the car turning away from the neighborhood.

"Oh yeah?"

"Hated it with a burning passion," the woman grinned. Kim chuckled, briefly watching the buildings pass. "Anyway, about that mission you had last week..."

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever get to know what the files were?" Ann asked solemnly.

Her daughter shook her head. "No, but Wade said he'll get back to me as soon as he can today. He said he was able to recover something, but had to go through with the Global Justice first to make sure everything was clear," she mumbled.

"Ah." Ann sighed, turning the corner. "It's a shame, I think," she started, "that some people end up growing sour and you'd think they'd be better. Take Dr. Lipsky as an example. He was one great colleague with your father and then..." She shrugged, adding, "Though, I guess there's nothing you can do with some of them."

"Yeah," Kim agreed. "It was really weird though. They don't normally do things like... _that_."

"How'd you mean?"

"Never have I had a mission with them before that had the two associating with others. Well, no, but stuff like this is just...weird."

The car slowed to a halt, Kim unbuckling herself before shrugging her bag over her shoulder. "Anyway, by sweetie! Have a good day!" Ann smiled as Kim returned the gesture. She watched as her mother rolled away, going off to work. The ginger sighed, striding into the school with her mind set on her locker. Once shuffling around with her school things, then shutting the locker door, Kim sighed a long breath. She really didn't want to take the test. Briefly checking her phone for the time, Kim figured that there was enough time to splash some water on her face in hopes to wake her up.

So, with that in mind, the heroine wormed her way through the halls, pushing herself into the restroom. Nobody else was in with her, giving her the time and peace.

Until her Kimmunicator buzzed.

Immediately Kim grabbed it out of her pocket, flipping the device. "What's the sitch?"

Wade didn't look at her, but instead to the side, his eyes flicking along whatever screen he was observing. He immediately got to the point, his voice low. _"I've gone through the files and...I can't make any sense of it."_

"What do you mean?"

 _"Well,"_ he leaned back in his chair, still staring at another computer screen, _"part of it is because they got what I think are the more important files off of the computer. I'm not sure if any of these relate to it at all but there's some maps of Middletown."_

Kim furrowed her brows, leaning against the countertop. "Really? What of?"

 _"_ Everything _. The sewage system, the electrical system, roads, highways, even the tunnels underneath some of the parks-"_ He abruptly halted, finally paying his attention towards the heroine. _"Are you in a bathroom?"_

She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. Just...what do you think was on it?"

 _"I don't have any idea. If it's another map, I'd assume specific buildings or secret passages and stuff like that. If not, I have no freakin' clue."_ He slumped in his chair, heaving a long sigh. _"Can you run me through what happened that night? At the hotel?"_

"We bust in, try to get the computer the nice way-"

_"Why that first?"_

"-we fight, Drakken does something to the files and then they were sent."

Wade raised his hands, closing his eyes before waving. _"Whoa, whoa, he did something while you were there?"_

"Yeah, I think we caught them by surprise. Something about needing to get the files out of their hands, or something," Kim murmured. "They kept saying to get out of their way, get out of their business... It was just...strange."

_"Strange like, what they were doing was not normal or-"_

"No, I mean, they probably do stuff like this but," Kim sighed, attempting to explain, "but they weren't as...cocky, I guess. Shego wasn't spending the time to taunt me and Drakken wasn't having any of Ron's attempts to get to the computer."

 _"So you mean that they were afraid of something."_ Kim paused, pondering on the idea.

"Maybe, I don't know..."

Wade rubbed his chin, turning in his chair. _"We're going to have to get some answers soon, you know that right?"_ Kim nodded before she groaned at the shriek of the bell. _"Class?"_

"Calculus test," she grumbled.

The boy chuckled, murmuring, _"Good luck with that."_

Kim took it before switching her device off. She felt as if she'd need all of the luck she could muster.

**. . .**

Sparks drizzled in couples as the long, metal claws sliced against the tabletop. Shego growled, glaring at the odd glove that wrapped around her hands; it bore a thin sheet of cloth at her palms, only her nails extending half an inch with sharp steel. The ends were battered - too much for her liking. "Drakken! Do you have any more of the filers?" The doctor turned from his large computer screen, raising a brow towards the woman. She gestured towards the strange gloves, her usual - at least commonly seen - laying on the table. Inside the left, black glove was the same contraption. " _Hello_? Buddy, that machine won't answer for him. Now work on _this_."

"I can't, he might pick up any minute! We need to know if he got them," the doctor grumbled.

Shego grouched, though slunk away towards her table anyhow. It was only minutes later - Shego discarded her glove, flexing her bare hands - when the large screen flickered. A man sat in a large chair, his face covered other than the shine of his smooth, iron mask. _"Dr. Drakken,"_ the man greeted curtly, his voice grueling.

"Stag."

 _"No need to play games with_ me _,"_ the man - Stag - snapped violently as Shego joined the doctor. Dr. Drakken winced, fiddling with his hands. _"I asked you to hide those videos and those documents, and they have yet to be given. I had a deadline, and now my deal has been cut."_

The doctor closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Shego stared heatedly at the screen, a brow arched. "You mean to say you didn't get them?"

The man resituated himself in his seat, his fingers dancing in the air; the villainess took that as being intrigued. _"What?"_

"We spent seven - fucking - hours trying to send those with the storm raining over our heads!" she explained, exasperated.

_"Then why are they not in my hands?"_

Dr. Drakken stepped forward, his stare hard as his voice placid: "We were interrupted." Stag tilted his head. "Up to eighty percent of the files were loaded, but Team Possible decided to stop by. Apparently, one of few who tried to look into the files was the Global Justice."

 _"They work for them?"_ the masked man inquired.

Shego shrugged. "Not generally, though they do."

"Yes, anyway," the doctor continued, "I feared that I didn't have enough time to push the files out to you anonymously with the Shell Protection. So..."

 _"You disconnected it,"_ the man finished. Dr. Drakken nodded, backing away with his gaze to his feet. Stag leaned back, running a tight grip through his lengthy black hair that spilled over his mask. _"You old fool,"_ he chided, _"you old bastard! Do you know what this has cost me? Cost_ us _?! Who has it?"_

Once the doctor didn't answer, Shego replied, "We don't know. We destroyed the computer before anything else."

Stag shook his head. _"God damn everything. Voltaire might have it now, you fuckers._ Voltaire _, the one man who shouldn't have it now may. This,"_ his voice thundered, _"is why when things are done my way, you don't cut corners! Drakken, I swear to you, if you don't fix this mess I will wring your neck with my bare hands!"_

"And I will," Dr. Drakken promised, "I will. You won't have a problem with Voltaire, I swear it."

The man on the screen eased back in his seat, taking a moment to digest his words. _"Good...you better. I will require those documents first. The videos can be at another time... Hand it to me - in person - and we shall go on from there."_

"Thank-you, Stag," Dr. Drakken wheezed.

Stag exhaled slowly, grumbling, _"You're lucky I am fond of Shego, you prick. Pull another stunt like this again and I swear you will not see another sunrise again."_ The screen blitzed off before Dr. Drakken gulped, sinking to his knees.

He shook his head, growling, "I swear I told him that just doing it straightforward would be a better suited plan. But no...now we have to- _Fuck_."

"Leave the job to me, if you have to," Shego muttered, "but you have to sharpen my claws."

"Right, right, I'm on it." As he strolled towards the table, observing the gloves, Dr. Drakken asked, "And what about Kim Possible and that boy?"

Shego clicked her tongue, raising her hands. "I don't know, _something_. Anything to distract them and get them off my fucking back. We can't have them ruin this again!" The woman checked her nails. "I'll be in my room. Don't disturb me."

The doctor rolled his eyes as she left, slamming the door behind her. Scowling, he paced around the table, his thoughts far away from the weapons on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ello!
> 
> Anyway, this was spur of the moment and I've never done a Kigo (or anything outside of Victorious) before. That said, this is my first time working with these characters so...how well did I do thus far? ;) Anyway, basically this is me just revamping Kim Possible, making it more mature. I will still, maybe, add some episodes but yeah.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!  
> :)


	2. Shego's Upgrade

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

He continually fiddled with the greasy parts before him, his long brow furrowed in concentration. With his black glove, the doctor wiped the beading sweat rimming his forehead - it was almost finished. Dr. Drakken paused, humming at the work. A large grin spread across his face, his scar wrinkling in pleasure; the small, tightly constructed motor sat on the table, awaiting the finishing touches. The walls then shivered in protest as something - it could've been _anything_ \- crashed rooms away. Dr. Drakken glanced up towards a dark figure in the shadows, ordering, "Go see what's going on and report back."

"Yessum," the man in a blood red suit murmured, striding through the double doors. As they slid open, Shego strolled through, barely making room for the henchman.

"Do you mind telling me what in God's name _that_ was?" the man asked, still tinkering with his creation. Once the woman only shrugged, he sighed. "You know, I'm trying to work here, I'd _appreciate_ it if there wasn't any distractions."

The woman - not in her cat-suit but sweatpants and a dark tank-top - sat lazily on the table, gazing at the engine with a minor interest. "D'you have my claws done yet?"

Dr. Drakken glanced at her bandaged arms. "Working the punching bag again?"

"Red ones," Shego smirked, romanticizing the sight of the henchmen tumbling to the ground. "Anyway, claws."

Dr. Drakken scoffed, pointing towards another, smaller, table. "Over there, and I added some length too. _And_ went with tungsten alloyed with steel."

"Tungsten?"

As she eased herself towards the table to study the weapons, Dr. Drakken scratched his chin, looking at his newest work. "Yeah. Part of the reason why your claws keep goin' dull is because of the melting point. Tungsten has the highest and I doubt you can melt anything higher than steel. You're welcome," he grumbled.

Shego arched a brow, thumbing over the claws. "I know that. I mean, where did you get it?" The doctor didn't answer as he grinned, clapping his hands as he hopped in delight. "Drakken?"

Whipping his goggles off and blinking abnormally, Dr. Drakken answered, "It was from the same parts that this uses -" he patted the motor "- from that generator you stole a couple of months ago." She flexed her hands, the skeletal-like claws fitting perfectly - or rather, like a glove. "What do you think?" he asked, leaning against the wall. Green flames flickered in her hands, the bandages immediately disintegrating, revealing an intricate network of pulsing, dark veins. Shego slashed the small table, leaving deep gashes at her wake.

"I can get used to this," she hummed, turning towards the doctor. "You're going to get longer gloves, right?"

"Yeah," Dr. Drakken waved gruffly, "they're being made right now. Anyway, do you want to see this new design for my motor?" Shego raised a brow, stepping forward. "You see, _this_ will be able to withstand the highest of temperatures, like your claws, and will be able to work at a faster, higher power." He grinned excitedly. "With these, I'll be able to use them to destroy democracy and claim the rightful throne to my own MONARCHY!"

Shego rolled her eyes as he yelled the last bit, growling, "Yeah, okay, what are you going to do? Suit this up to a Jaguar and run the president over?"

The doctor scowled. "No," he spat firmly, "this is a heart, not a set of legs." The woman quirked a brow, removing her claws. Dr. Drakken sighed, pressing a button from a remote which lay beside his engine. The room was then swallowed in a bright light, one that gave the man migraines if he worked too long with it. Shego switched her gaze towards a long wall, several robotic skeletons hanging by their arms and shoulders, each forming a long cross.

"The Bebes?" she inquired.

Shaking his head, Dr. Drakken answered, "No, but similar design. I found them in the storage unit and decided that they'd be of some use. They'll be broader in design, more sturdy, I think...or perhaps more agile."

"Why not both?" Shego asked. The blue-hued man pursed his lips, having not considered the possibility. "Anyway, enough about the damn monarchy. We have to get back to those documents." Dr. Drakken only chuckled, strolling towards the robotic figures. "What?"

As his string of laughs ceased, he murmured, "This _is_ the plan. I said I'd be able to use them to destroy the government, not that it's their sole purpose. You said you wanted to distract Kim Possible and that boy, right?" Shego nodded slowly, beckoning him to explain more. "You know that the old hotel is being revamped into a casino?"

"Yeah, saw that they started yesterday. What about it?"

"Well... There's an opening ceremony in...uh, in July. A few months from now is plenty of time to get everything ready and have Team Possible busy. By the time the opening ceremony comes, we'll - or _you_ , at least - will be there. And, you'll have the documents to give to Stag," Dr. Drakken answered, leaning beside one of his older creations.

Shego raised her hands, brows set firmly in a frown. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the phone," she said, "what does this casino have to do with the files?"

The man grinned, clutching his biceps. "Stag spoke to me after I got your claws done. He's been invited to the ceremony, and is allowed to bring two guests. The first was his wife, naturally, and the second...he's thinking about you," the doctor informed. "You should thank the man, Shego, he just gave you a ticket, free of charge. Go gambling, for all I care, but your focus should be on those documents. Get the picture?"

"You're still giving me only _half_ of the picture here, doc," she growled.

"Do you not know? Guess who bought the property to open this place."

Dr. Drakken waited as the woman worked the gears in her thoughts, attempting to place a name. And then, there was a blink of a lightbulb. "You're kidding... Voltaire?" she asked.

He nodded in agreement. "It's perfect. While you go to the casino and look around for those files, I can be monitoring _these_ -" he gestured towards the wall "- as they distract Kim Possible as she and that boy with his rat are _all_ the way across the city. We could have multiple sets of these in different locations, throwing them off or whatever. With that engine with these robotics, they'll be virtually unstoppable... Or, at least, enough of a distraction to get them off your back."

Shego smirked, folding her arms with a gaze that couldn't be described other than one of _impressed_. "I got to say, Drakken...this idea of yours isn't bad. Far from it. So long as these don't fuck up, anyway," she admitted. "How did you get yourself to think like this?"

"Hey, _I_ have always come up with the best of plans!"

The woman arched a brow.

"Well...okay, I'll agree that - maybe - some of my plans have failed in a fiery heap. _But_ , these won't! As I said, they'll be able to survive the hottest temperatures!" He smirked, adding, "I've thought of everything! See, I'll show you." With that, he confidently strolled towards the table, glancing over his motor. "Now let's see here...ah." Running a hand along the side, Dr. Drakken pushed a velvet button. The small motor whirled to life, its gears and arms pumping with miraculous speed. It was a feat on its own - until it shuddered, crumbling underneath its high promise. "No, _no_!" the doctor cried. "What happened?"

"Thought of everything, yeah?" Shego snorted. "Did you think that it may overwork itself?"

The man huffed, grumbling, "Well this is why we have five months to work! We can send some of these out and look for errors before the opening." Both immediately hurled their attention as the double doors opened, the henchman stepping through. In his clutch he held a large black tom by the scruff of his neck, the cat wriggling pitifully. "Wha...what is that?"

"A report" and "I do believe that is a cat" were answered at once. Dr. Drakken shot a glare towards his highest worker, only receiving a mocking smirk.

The henchman cleared his throat, repeating, "A report. This cat got into the ducts and fell in the middle of the armory unit. Scared the shit out of Forty. What should we do with it?"

"Shego, kill it."

The woman gawked, snapping, "No! It's just a cat!"

"Do it quick then, no need to burn it to death!" the doctor retorted.

She rolled her eyes, gliding towards the large man. Jerking the animal from his grasp, she announced, "I'm just going to put it back outside. It's no big deal." The cat rubbed its jowls against her comforting palm, long, quiet purrs rolling from his throat. "See? It's not going to try and steal a shotgun or blueprints. Probably found a fucking _rat_ since _somebody_ still hasn't fixed that problem."

As Shego began to walk away, Dr. Drakken sputtered, "B-but what if it comes back?"

"Then we're keeping it because it might get the fucking rats!" she snarled from the hall. Shego shook her head as the double doors closed, muttering quietly to the tom, " _Men_ , good grief. I swear..." The cat, clueless of the dangerous power lurking at her fingertips, gnawed as the playfulness became too tempting. The woman jerked before shocking the cat lightly; he shivered anyhow. "There's more where that came from, cat." He didn't attempt another nibble.

Stepping to the mouth of the liar's entrance, she set the cat down. "Beat it," Shego pointed away from the entrance, "or I'll beat you." The tom curled his tail to the sky before darting off, disappearing into the brush of trees and bushes. She sighed once the doctor yelled for her assistance, grumbling quietly, "Why does he always need _me_?"

**. . .**

The locker room was cleared by most, few girls still shrugging their usual attire, their uniforms cast off to the side. Kim closed her own locker tight, stepping away until a lean girl with mischievous blue eyes glanced towards her. Kim grimaced, asking, "What now Bonnie?"

The girl only smirked, asking with a taunting muse, "Did I accidentally kick you that hard or..." The ginger frowned, rubbing her bruised jawline - which had healed over the past few days - with discontent. "That purple really doesn't suit your top," Bonnie further observed.

"Whatever," Kim growled, shuffling passed the girl before a hand jerked at her elbow. "Bonnie, _quit it_."

"Why can't _I_ lead the cheer this time?" she growled quietly.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Because you aren't the team captain," she replied - it was an unsettled fact. "Now get off." She jerked her arm from Bonnie before moving swiftly to the hallway, without another word. Once squeezing through the bustling hall, Kim managed to reach her locker. Ron scrambled towards her, a few books in his grasp.

He furrowed his brows before mumbling quietly, "Hey K.P., what's up?"

"Just Bonnie," she replied. Ron quickly took the answer, watching the crowd.

"They're definitely ready for the game tomorrow," he observed. "Oh, hey Monique."

"Hey yourself," a girl greeted back with a smile. Flipping her long, curled locks over her shoulder, Monique turned to Kim. "So I see you're wearing the shirt you bought yesterday."

"Of course," the ginger nodded, opening her locker. The small, square computer in her locker flickered before Wade appeared. "Hey."

 _"Hey... Hey Monique,"_ the kid perked. _"So how's everythin'?"_

Monique smiled, replying, "Fine."

"Wade, focus. I'm just asking about the files... You did say that the Global Justice ran over them a couple of times, right?"

He nodded firmly, fixing a solemn frown across his expression. _"Yeah, and they still can't figure out what they might've had on them._ But _, they did find some other stuff I didn't recognize,"_ he reported.

Kim glanced towards Ron and Monique, asking, "So, what is the stuff then?"

Wade scratched the back of his head, sipping on a bottle of soda before answering. In a quiet tone - enough for the three to step closer - he said, _"It looks like these were never Dr. Drakken's files. I mean, they could've been anybody's, but the agency said that there were some things that made it clear who they were dealing with - Drakken and Shego, I mean."_

"Okay, what's the symbol?"

 _"They didn't tell me,"_ he sighed. Though, a small grin spread across is face. _"_ However, _I did scan the whole thing and made a copy of what was on the computer. I went back to look after they got in contact with me, and I did see some things. I can pull up some of what I think they were talking about, but...Monique?"_

"Oh honey, I'm lookin' away," she nodded, turning around at the heel.

With her back turned, Wade nodded. _"So here's what I found."_ The screen switched to several snapshots, all with an odd series of numbers: _19151_. _"You see it? It isn't computer garble."_

"Yeah, I see it," Ron murmured.

"So, what does _that_ mean?" Kim asked.

 _"Well,"_ Wade popped up on the screen again, _"I'm assuming it's something like a serial number. I was just looking it up when you called. Hold on...let's see here..."_

As the young genius continued to scour through the internet, Monique tapped her foot while Kim and Ron glanced at one another. "Where did you find the numbers?"

There was a quick answer as his eyes continued to flicker across his screens. _"You know those maps I told you about? Well, there were some locations that had them typed over. I can't believe I looked over that, it seems_ way _too obvious now."_ He shook his head with a slight disappointment. _"Nothing. I'm just getting a bunch of companies or products. I'll have to look more into it when I have the proper time."_

"Maybe try looking up the addresses of those buildings," Monique piped up, still staring at the water fountain across the hall. Wade immediate grinned, thanking her for the advice. Within a few clicks, he found one address.

 _"A storage unit for cars and such, er..."_ The keyboard clicked furiously. _"Apartments...apartments...a mansion... Uh, there's-_ Wait _, hold the phone."_ Wade cracked a wide grin. _"You know the hotel you two went to get the laptop?"_ he asked. Both nodded slowly as he glanced towards their screen. _"There's one thing connecting all of them together - the owner."_

"Do you know who it is?"

Wade clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. _"No... I just looked up 'James Voltaire' and there's nothing here. Like, nothing. I'll have to see if they're in the deeper part of the web like the numbers."_

"Or maybe you should update your systems," Ron suggested.

The boy scoffed. _"They_ are _up to date."_

"Alright then, thanks Wade," Kim said. "Oh, and is there anything going on right now?"

Wade shook his head. _"No, not at the moment. All's happy."_ Kim grinned before closing the door, glancing towards her friends.

"Do I have to keep looking at this kid's ass while he drinks?" Monique asked, glaring at the occupied water fountain.

Kim grinned as Ron chortled. "No you don't."

Monique turned around. "Good. Now I just _hope_ I don't dream about it," she said, shivering dramatically. As they strolled down the hall, the trio laughed. Meanwhile, the poor, confused kid at the water fountain arched a brow, their tittering loud and bubbly. "Oh!" Monique - as they stepped through the double doors to the parking lot - glanced towards the row of cars, announcing, "Well, looks like my ride's here. So you tomorrow Kim!" The ginger waved her off as she detached herself from the small group (of three).

"Hey, K.P.?"

"Hmm?" Kim turned towards Ron.

He grinned with enthusiasm, asking, "D'you want to go to Bueno Nacho?"

"Count me in," she agreed. As they began to stroll towards the sidewalk, on to their new plans, Ron fantasized about the nacos. Rufus, settling himself on Ron's shoulder, chattered throughout the walk, especially whenever menu items were listed (and they were _constantly_ listed). Kim shook her head once the blond continued to talk, commenting about his addiction to Bueno Nacho.

"No it's not!" he exclaimed. "It's a perfectly healthy need to have a naco every week...or maybe two. Anyway, it's not obsessive."

Kim chuckled as they began to cross the parking lot, saying, "Well, you sure had me fooled." Her Kimmunicator, as she pressed her palms against the door, hummed. Bringing Wade to her attention, she asked, "What's the sitch?"

 _"You know when I said that all was happy in the world - like - twenty minutes ago?"_ he asked.

"...yeah?" Ron groaned once she stepped away from the door, obviously not eager to go in.

"But the nacos! I haven't had one all yesterday -"

 _"Well, there's a break-in at a mechanics store...in the back,"_ he confided.

Kim nodded as both Ron and Rufus pressed their faces to the glass; the older man on the other side was greatly startled, spilling his water everywhere. Ignoring the two, she replied, "Okay, so who's involved?"

Wade leaned forward, answering, _"Uh... Actually, there's two groups. There's a couple of bandits that came in from the store...and then Shego who dropped in from the roof."_

"Oh God...but the _nacos_. My stomach is growling - _K.P._!" The blond jerked once Kim yanked on his arm, eyes to the Kimmunicator.

As her friend sulked, mumbling about his meal, Kim asked, "What are they getting?"

 _"The cameras are too high up, I can't see what they're getting,"_ he said simply. _"Anyway, you two are just leaving Bueno, right?"_

"How can you tell?" Kim grumbled, shooting a quick glare towards her side.

Ron - his strides sprinting with the ginger's - only whined, "But my nac-"

"One more thing about them and I'll take your pistol and _shoot every last one of them in the restaurant_!" she snapped.

He stumbled, momentarily gawking at her answer. As Wade chortled on his screen, Ron muttered, "Well a) that's rude and b) they can make more..."

" _Ron_..." Once the blond kept his silence, Kim rolled her eyes and glanced back to the Kimmunicator. "Alright, we're almost at my house. Is it on the way?"

Wade, his laughs lessening, nodded. _"Yeah. All the way across town - Thomas Rd and Creek Central Avenue. You will be able to catch both of them as they're finishing up... I'll keep them occupied anyway,"_ he promised.

"Thanks Wade." Kim switched off her device, stashing it to her pocket. "I really need him to fix the watch. The freakin' rain from last week washed it out." She glanced over her shoulder as they slowed, heaving a short exhale. "Ron, enough about the nacos. We can get them _after_."

There were still grumblings, all of which fell upon deaf ears.

**. . .**

As Shego padded through the long rows of mechanical parts, she grumbled to herself, "Why do he _always_ need me? I get that I'm his fuckin' consigliere, but he could just order some of these damn...doo-das." She glanced down at the long list: GP4r Sensory Cables, Tungsten Shells or Steel Shells, 3" Circumference Fans (three blades), Fire Resistant/Non-Halogenated Cables, DR361 Infrared Cameras, Heavy-Duty Joints (all of them, Shego), Adjustable FRe Motion Detectors, CMI Image Censor, Toggle Switches, V3 360 Laser Scanner...

The woman sighed, having already crossed off the rest of the long list. The bag slung over her shoulder had already felt a few pounds heavier than it needed to be. Shego halted at once, however, with a fistful of cables, as steps echoed along the hall beside hers. _Shit..._ her thoughts raced. Shoving more cables in the bag, she then launched herself on top of the shelves, watching the culprits closely. Three men - all weary in their gaze - murmured before rummaging through the boxes.

"Do you think this one, Mac?" she heard.

Shego jerked, her eyes still invested on the three men. Her gloved fingers pressed on the earpiece. " _What_?" she hissed quietly.

 _"When are you getting back? I need those parts, Shego,"_ the doctor answered.

"Maybe I'm still going through the fucking list! I have three bags hidden on the roof because you asked me to get a hundred-and-thirty-one things! _Over a hundred_! Now fuck off if you want them, I have company."

There was a pause on the other side, Shego's prominent worries lessening; another man said, "D'you think this will be more expensive, Mac?"

_"Who's with you?"_

"Three dudes coming here to steal, like me... What did I say? Fuck off and let me deal with this!" After the short grumbling from the line, Shego ended the call. She continued to watch the men as they began to stride away, eventually easing herself to the floor. More parts were shoved in the bag, leaving Shego to find the motion detectors, censors, scanners and cameras. Though, she decided that the bag was too heavy and needed another one. In a flash, she sprinted towards the ladder snaking along the side of the walls, climbing it before slipping through a turning window.

The soft breeze brushed against her shoulders as the roof's gravel crunched against her boots. The six other bags - all identical to the one slung over her shoulder - were pressed against the wall, covered in dust and pebbles. After Shego meticulously covered the newer addition, she reached for another bag. She grimaced; the woman hoped that this bag would be able to hold enough.

Going back the way she came, Shego groaned: The trio of burglars down the aisles crashed through shelves, a dutiful announcement made. "Ron! You deal with these guys and I'll deal with Shego!"

"But Kim, what if she already left?"

"God, you're so _loud_ ," Shego snapped, her eyes towards the double doors leading to the store. Quickly, she raced towards the shelves, grabbing a crowbar. With great force and her knuckles popping, it was bent, enabling her to secure the handles.

Kim spoke in the distance, "Wade, check the cameras for Shego." The woman cursed violently, pressing herself against the wall.

"Can I just steal _a_ camera?" Shego spat, edging herself towards a corner, eyes set on a control box. "This better be for the lights..." Wrenching the box open, she heard Kim sprint her way towards the corner. Shego smiled, humming excitedly. "Well...well..." A green flame of pure energy swallowed her gloves - new gloves - before she slashed the box. It smashed against the floor, unable to handle her new set of claws; Shego was immensely satisfied with her new toy.

The lights drowned the large room in a dark ocean of shadows. Shego grinned: Perhaps the cameras wouldn't be fooled, though the rest of Team Possible would. Slipping night-vision goggles over her eyes, Shego then jumped onto a shelf. "Let's see...let's see...lens, lens, lens," Shego hummed under her breath, jumping along the sections. There were gears in one aisle, wiring in the next, Ron blindly throwing punches at - who she assumed anyway - Mac at the furthest one. Shego felt her breath fume with annoyance - they were brawling in the _one_ aisle she needed to go.

She didn't have time to join the fight and punch her way through. Her hands started to tingle in anticipation as she near-silently leapt down. "Would you like a hand?" she spoke quietly.

Ron answered through a grunt, "Yes please." Shego smirked, pressing her fingers against Mac's wide temple before a pulse raced through her hands. The man immediately crumpled to the ground. "Thanks K.P., did Wade fix you up with something new?"

A long flame flickered up her right hand, Shego smirking devilishly. The blond gulped as he glanced at her dark, emerald eyes. "No...I call it natural talent." Before anything, Ron opened his mouth as her fingers pressed against his temple, another pulse ringing through them. Setting both hands down - as he toppled to the ground over Mac - Shego began snatching the needed items from the boxes; Kim _definitely_ heard his yell, and would especially come in a quick fashion as it was cut off sharply.

Luck was on her side - once her bag was zipped, it was filled with the last items, long before Kim's steps met with hers. By that time, she was already climbing up the ladder. "Shego, I don't believe you'll get away with this!"

She rolled her eyes at the confidence, glancing down towards Kim. "Oh yeah? Well I think I already have." Shego smirked as the room was then bathed in a dark red, the back-up lights kicking in. Kim looked distorted in the light as she continued, "You see, I'm a rather good thief. The best in the business, I'd say."

"What did you do to Ron and that one guy?" Kim snapped.

Shego arched a brow. "They're not dead. I only knocked them unconscious, that's all. I know what it would take to do serious harm," she assured tauntingly.

"You're a good thief, but you're just a thief," the ginger growled, "you're not capable of any more." Shego only shrugged, gliding up the ladder. Kim, determined to catch the criminal, started scaling it as well.

"Oh, no you don't. I don't think you ought to stop this," Shego said, her usual mockery lacing her words. A fist grabbed the side rail, a molten heat concentrating on the ladder. Kim shuddered once the ladder had, Shego then melting the other side. "Too bad I couldn't show you more of my new toy, but maybe I could give you a little somethin'." Shego chuckled once the ladder below her fell to the ground, Kim along with it. As she pushed the window to slip out, the woman growled as the familiar grappling hook caught the edge. "So you need more of a demonstration..." she grumbled quietly to herself.

With her hand set on the hook, she felt herself surge; with the new gloves, it was a more powerful feeling. The grapple hissed before slipping, a tremendous thud sounding behind her. Sprawled on the ground was the ginger, groaning with a daze. "See you sometime, Kimmie, and maybe you'll see these parts in action." A groan was the only response before she slipped out from the window.

One by one, the bags were hurled towards the highest point of the roof, Shego following.

Pressing her fingers to the earpiece, she said, "I'm ready, get to me before anything else happens."

_"On it. Did you get all of it?"_

She rolled her eyes - it was a stupid question. "Yeah, no thanks to you." Moments later, a chopper appeared in the distance, planting a firm smirk across her face.

She _really_ loved her new gloves.

**. . .**

Kim scowled, her arms folded as the sat on the curb. She got away, _again_. Footsteps shuffled behind her, Ron easing himself beside her. He grinned meekly at her, sporting three, dark burns on his forehead. "Your mom said that I'm fine, I'll just feel a bit light-headed for the rest of the day," he commented.

"How did she do it? Shego, I mean," Kim asked.

"All I really remember is that somebody came down and knocked out the guy quick. I thought it was you, actually. She asked me if I needed help." Ron managed a hoarse laugh. "And, uh...and then she turned to me and did the same thing. It didn't hurt, actually. I just felt...I don't know. I mean," he pressed his hand against his head, "it hurts now." Kim nodded before he asked, "So, what did Wade say?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know, he said he'll look back at the cameras to see what was going on-" The Kimmunicator hummed. "Speaking of the devil..."

Wade flickered on the screen. _"I looked back on it and you weren't wrong, Kim. There is something different with her. I still can't seem to get what she's talking about wit' her 'toy' but...Kim I know you saw, but Ron? Did you see what she did to the control box and the ladder?"_ Once Ron shook his head, Wade replayed the footage of Shego demolishing the wall. The blond only shrugged.

"She's done it before."

"Like _that_ Ron?" Kim scoffed. "You're serious."

"What? Show me what she did to the ladder."

Wade sighed, switching to a short clip of the ladder toppling to the ground after Shego handled it, Kim following after. Ron still wasn't impressed. Rolling his eyes, the kid genius muttered, _"Kim, maybe you should just show him your grapple."_ Kim nodded, slipping the device from her long pocket.

Ron furrowed his brows, muttering, "She really didn't want to play today."

"Ron! She melted my hook! It's stainless steel!" The blond only shrugged. Kim rolled her eyes, asking, "Wade, could you tell him the melting point for my hook so that he could see how _bad_ this is?"

 _"Right... Here."_ The screen blipped to an article, presenting _1,325-1530 degrees Celsius._ _"In Fahrenheit, it's well over two-thousand."_

"So? She has plasma and stuff," Ron mumbled.

Kim rolled her eyes. "You're serious... Honestly Ron, did she thwack your head that hard? That's fucking _hot_." The blond raised his hands as she continued to fuss over the fact that Shego was different - he didn't see it. Shego had melted things and thrown flames - and other currencies - before.

 _"Kim and I went over this before, and we said that there was no way that a woman - no matter how sharp her nails are - can cut through metal. We think she has something else in terms of gear,"_ Wade stated.

"Like claws or something underneath the gloves."

The boy nodded as Ron blinked at the Kimmunicator blankly. _"Dude, it would have to be metal. All metal melts and so she - if she's really as powerful as we kinda think - would have to restrain herself. But since she got this 'new toy', she's stronger and able to do more,"_ he finished.

"Or maybe Shego always is using one of those light-sabers as her fingers. I think that's plausible," Ron said. The two only looked at him with unamused expressions. "Well, okay, maybe she tried new tricks this mission but _maybe_ it's only because she really needed to get out of there quickly! Until I see something that is completely different than what she did before, I'm just saying she had an energy drink before coming here." His bob of his head finished the conversation.

"Whatever Ron, we're just saying this so we know to avoid her bolts more now," Kim muttered, already over the dispute. "Anyway, did you look up about this Jones guy?"

Wade arched an amused brow. With a quirk of a smile, he asked, _"James Voltaire?"_

"James, Jones, whatever."

He shook his head. _"Didn't have the chance to. I was watching the burglary, remember? I'll get it by tonight, I promise you. I'll tell you any new information worth calling in the dead of night, even."_

"Please wait by the morning," Kim groaned. Wade shrugged before the screen turned off, leaving Ron and Kim on the curb alone.

Ron turned towards his friend before asking, "So...nacos?"

She rolled her eyes before standing to her feet, her spine and shoulders still sore as she stretched. "Sure, why not. I can go for some nacos."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this will be kinda it for a little while (a few weeks). Basically, I have a lot of other stories that need attention so, yeah. No worries, I'm really loving this so far and I have an idea as of what I want to do with it... It may be longer, just saying. ;) 
> 
> Anyway, yeah, just going to leave on that note. I didn't want to not update this for a bit and only have one chapter...if two chapters are much better.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!  
> :)


	3. Interesting Progression

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

Only a slim line leaked through the long curtains, running across the top of a desk, the foot of a low bed and a dresser. Other than that, the room was completely shrouded in black. Sheets rustled as the figure in the bed moved, grumbling in her sleep. There was a hum on the desk, a bright, illuminated light flashing. Kim ignored it, burrowing deeper into her pillow. The Kimmunicator became relentless, buzzing erratically against the surface. She groaned, blinking awake irritably, finding herself staring into a dark patch of the wall. She turned over, glaring at the glowing desk.

 _"Kim? You there?"_ Wade's voice asked, the distance quieting his voice. She didn't answer, only shutting her eyes. _"Kim? Hold on...let me check the time real quick."_ Hesitantly, Kim groped around her bed, snatching her phone from the corner of the sheets.

A white, blinding light drowned her weary vision, _12:57_ imprinted in her brain.

 _"Ah shit,"_ she heard Wade vaguely, _"it's nearly one... Anyway, Kim?"_

Feeling her defeat, Kim ungracefully slipped out of bed, shuffling across her room. In a quick motion, she snatched the device from the desk and plopped onto her bed. "What?" she grumbled.

 _"Caught you at a bad time?"_ he asked meekly.

"Uh, yeah. I was sleeping," she stated. "Anyway, what's the sitch?"

_"I still haven't gotten to understand the numbers-"_

"Thanks, can I go to sleep now?"

 _"But I found information on Voltaire,"_ Wade deadpanned the rest of his statement. _"Do you really think I'd wake you up in the middle of the night for that little thing?"_

"Yes," was the immediate answer. The kid only gawked, blinking at the girl with a stricken expression.

 _"Wow...that- that hits hard, man."_ Kim allowed a small smirk to plague her lips before he continued. _"Anyway, I found some stuff on Voltaire: He doesn't seem like a nice guy."_

Kim furrowed her brows. "Like how? Dr. Drakken bad, Shego bad, Monkey Fist bad or...what?"

He shook his head. _"That's the thing: I don't really know. See, here, I'll pull up some things for you."_ The light from her device darkened, white letters typed across a black screen; her eyes appreciated it. _"Now this is a part of some of the leftover stuff that I copied before handing it to the Global Justice. It's the same things that you saw before: The buildings that Voltaire owns. From the looks of it, the plots are all expensive. Like,_ really _expensive."_

"And the more rich the guy is..."

 _"The more power,"_ Wade finished. _"Now, I've looked at his records and - man - is this guy off the charts. I can barely find anything on him. But from what I did find, I don't like this guy."_

Kim shuffled against her sheets. "How come?"

 _"For one, the stuff that I did find lead me to other casinos - all around the world. And they're insane man; they have little restaurants, the majority of them are hotels, some have clubs mixed in... Okay, not all that insane, but the bucks they gain is huge. With this new one that's coming up, that would be the eleventh he owns."_ Wade popped back onto the screen before other articles flooded across - all detailed numerous casinos and crime-schemes. Kim's frown deepened. _"See, all of the places he owns has all of this crime. I mean, I can't_ really _say much about that since, well, casinos aren't all that...safe, but this is a bit extreme. What I can pin him on is the amount of professors and doctors who come in and disappear in the casinos."_

The teen immediately bolted right up, crossing her legs. "Who? Anybody we know?"

 _"Nah, not really. I mean, we've heard of them on the fly but we've never associated with them,"_ Wade answered. _"There was Dr. Tony Wilmer, Dr. Lucy Tracy, Dr. Robert Stag, Professor James Starlern...and so on and so forth. All considered to be notable people globally, and all considered to be very dead."_ Kim sat there, in her dark room, without a word spoken. She worked her mind ferociously, attempting to wrap her brain around the news - she couldn't. _"Now, is it a coincidence? Maybe...but I really doubt it."_

"Agreed," she hummed. Kim thought for a moment before spilling her thoughts: "So what about Drakken and Shego?"

Wade arched a brow. _"What about them?"_

"Well...they're tied into this too. _And_ they had the files to begin with."

 _"Yeah. I don't know. Maybe they were sending the files to Voltaire for plans or somethin'."_ Kim nodded, not having any other input. She thought back to the day prior, Ron settling down on the curb beside her. As she was absently rubbing her bruise, Wade commented, _"Still bugging you?"_

She snapped her attention to the screen. "Yeah, it's not as bad as it was."

_"She really got you good, didn't she?"_

A wry smile was stretched across her lips. "I don't think she appreciated the blow I gave to her... Anyway, speaking of Shego, what are we going to do about her?"

_"With her powers and stuff?"_

"Yeah." Wade shrugged. Kim sighed, then mumbling, "Well, at least Ron knows."

_"Then again, he doesn't really believe us."_

"I know. I mean...you know how he is - has to see it with his own eyes."

Wade gave a soft chuckle. _"Well, sometimes being skeptical is a good thing."_

"True," she admitted. "Though I think it would be better to _not_ be skeptical with a fire- or plasma-wielding-criminal."

The boy nodded in agreement. After a short while, he asked, _"Wouldn't it be interesting if you knew how she got her powers?"_ Kim raised a brow. _"I mean, look, we know that people can have crazy abilities and all that jazz, but whatever she has is so...intriguing and dangerous."_

"I guess," Kim murmured. She blinked at the time on the Kimmunicator - _1:09_ \- and said, "Well, catch me up on whatever in the morning. I need some sleep."

 _"Alright Kim, good night,"_ Wade replied, a gesture that was returned. Kim, without pulling the covers over her, leaned against the pillow and felt herself fall asleep. Nothing was known of her dreams - which were nothing but black - when she woke the next morning.

**. . .**

The screen blitzed from channel to channel, each one not impressing the cold, emerald eyes gazing languidly at it. Shego sighed, shrugging deeper into the large chair. Before long, however, one channel remained and fixed to her attention. It was a simple news station - one that she didn't care for - that was focusing on a small, more lighthearted subject. _"Right Jane,"_ a cheery, blond reporter smiled a large grin, his sparkling eyes staring at the camera, _"this thing will be huge. And think of all the tourism!"_

Shego ignored the commentary - reporters were _shit_.

However, the construction site continuously being put on the screen wasn't. She scowled quietly: The foundation around the older building was already laid. Long, strong steel bars had already been put up, beams of future walls already cemented. Cranes and other bulky vehicles were laid about, taking their breaks until the workers came back in the evening.

 _"Yes. The casino is supposed to be quite the attraction, one that would be interesting for this small little city. It's said that it will have two restaurants, a pool, spa... This really is a perfect attraction, Jim,"_ a woman grinned, her black locks reaching her shoulders.

"Yes Jane, _and_ a fucking- _God_ ," Shego snapped, shutting off the screen in one motion. "Oh if only the news actually reported the real deal," she grumbled. She shook her head, striding across the large room before halting by a door. It opened with ease, a henchman stopping short of the doorway. Shego merely walked passed, ignoring his polite mumblings. Within a few minutes, she found herself walking into the small workshop, the scientist scrambling about the room. She leaned against the wall, watching Dr. Drakken blandly.

He turned over his shoulder with a wild smile as he danced in one spot. "Come over, Shego! I've got this one online!" The woman arched a brow, glancing at the shadowed corner; two glinting eyes - like a cat's - stared from the corner before it crawled out with ease. The android's motions were fluid, impressing Shego despite the shabby appearance: The metal was rusted at the joints and edges with deep scratches along multiple surfaces. Some wires, too, were loose, tangling over the thinner pieces of metal. "Huh? What d'you think?"

"Other than being tacky," she observed, "better than what you usually pull out of your ass."

"I don't appreciate back-handed compliments, _Shego_ ," Dr. Drakken chided. She hitched a smirk. "Anyway, it doesn't overheat. That's the important thing... It also has _excellent_ depth-perception, hand-to-eye coordination, night-vision, heat-vision - I could go on."

"Do tell," Shego said.

Drakken smiled wickedly, the ingenious spark in his eyes growing. "It also recognizes faces. _So_ , when you use them against Kim Possible and that...blond one, they will not try to fight you. Each one has a small portion on the neck that can deactivate them, too."

"Wow, real impressed doc. Say, did you think of all of this yourself?" He opened his mouth to answer before deflating.

"Might've had some...help from Stag. But anyway, no matter," he waved his hands, "it's going to do well. I'll just have to get the proper metal and cut on it, then the androids will be ready."

"Cool." With another smirk, Shego asked, "So how is it going to fuck up then?"

"What?"

"Dude, _weakness_ \- kinda need to know that if I'm going to be working with them," Shego retorted.

Dr. Drakken nodded, a sudden seriousness coating his words. "I haven't found _that_ much. Obviously, there's the falling, crushing - blah, blah, _blah_. But, the only issue I've seen is with temperature; if they get too hot, it'll blow with the engine, though if it gets too cold, the circuitry won't been working. Still trying to find a solution for that."

"What about water?"

"No, not unless it gets to exposed cables." Shego nodded in approval.

Once gnawing on her inner-cheek for a short while, watching the android walk aimlessly around the room, she asked, "Is there a concrete date for the opening?"

"Well, not really. It's more like concrete week. It's the week of the...the fifteenth."

"July?"

"Right."

Shego arched a brow once the android stopped at the wall, pressing its make-shift palms against it. "Will you be able to get this done by then? It's already been a month since we fucked up with the files and all you've made is a curious little bastard." Dr. Drakken sighed as the android then proceeded to knock a small trash bin over.

"Yes, I'll be able to finish. This one's a prototype, and all the others will be near-identical. We don't need an army against two kids, remember?"

"Sure, just don't want to go and get more materials like last time."

Drakken made a face. "We _have_ enough materials. And we have time, too. Now you do need to find out more information on the casino, right?"

"I am. I've been tuning into whatever I can."

He shook his head. "It's not enough. You need to see the plans for it. I'd rather you be able to get out of the casino, _with_ the files, and not have to use the front door."

"Where do you expect me to look then?"

Dr. Drakken glanced at her thoughtfully for a moment. "I'll suit up another of these skeletons over here, match it with the prototype, and you'll be sent with it to Voltaire's main building."

"And where's that?" Shego asked dutifully.

"New York. Give me by Thursday and I'll get it done."

Shego nodded, her attention then abruptly stripped to the door. A henchman strode in, clearing his throat. "Sir? You're pizza delivery is here." Dr. Drakken's stern scowl immediately morphed into a delighted one.

"Oh! My supreme! Here's the fifteen," he said, handing the bulky man three fives. Shego only rolled her eyes, sliding out of the room. As she strode down the hall towards her own private quarters, she could smell the greasy lunch.

**. . .**

There was a different air when Kim walked through the double doors. She couldn't explain it. It was somewhat exciting and giddy. "Hey Kim!" The redhead turned, finding Monique walking towards her; perhaps she would be able to explain.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kim glanced towards the group of girls, all flocking down the hall.

Monique chuckled before saying, "There's a new exchange student. He's from Turkey, I think..."

"Okay...so what's up with him?" Before there was a verbal answer, the hall became clustered by other girls as Mr. Barkin and the new student walked closer. Kim had been puzzled by the abrupt commotion over one student, though she understood it now: "Oh..."

"Yeah, _oh_ ," Monique smirked. They continued to watch the student, the other girls ogling at his pale eyes, tan skin and impeccable features.

Kim's cheeks were suddenly tinged with a blush as one girl - Bonnie - growled, "If I wasn't already dating Brick, I'd get with _that_."

She sighed, muttering, "I'll go to my locker before the bell rings. I don't want to be late for math, again."

"Okay," Monique said, "I have to go find Steven for the rubric in History. We still haven't started that assignment. By the way, any luck with Ron?"

Kim shook her head. "It's half done because of me, but I'll see if he'll get his done by tomorrow." Monique gave her a quick warning look before slipping away, her eyes constantly drifting towards the exchange student.

The bell had rung, Kim luckily already strolling into the classroom. "Good mornin'," the teacher nodded.

"Morning Mr. Kulp," she returned.

"Oh, Kim," he blinked, jerking her attention. "So we have a new student starting today and I found that your schedules were similar. Would you mind just walking him through so that he can get the swing of things?"

Kim nodded. "Sure."

"Great," Mr. Kulp grinned, gesturing towards her seat. "I'll have him sit next to you today. I know you have that missing chair beside you." She nodded before finding her seat, taking out her binder and pencil. By the time her bag was set down on the floor, there was shuffling beside her.

She blinked to her side and felt her chest constrict a little - he was better close-up. "Hey," he cleared his throat, "uh...are you Kim?"

Kim nodded, murmuring a slow, "Yeah, I am. What's your name?"

"Jason," he answered, flashing a grin that made Kim's heart - she swore - jolt. Though, _Jason_ didn't sound all that exotic; nor did his accent - which was largely just American - sound foreign either. She made a mental note to ask him later. "So can I join you at lunch and stuff?"

"Of course you can. I can introduce you to my friends." He smiled once again, pleased that he wouldn't be alone. Mr. Kulp, a moment later, announced the beginning of the lesson, not allowing any more time for socializing.

**. . .**

The jet moved swiftly through the air, minor turbulence taking over rarely. Shego leaned back, flipping through the manual supplied with the aircraft leisurely, her eyes flicking up frequently. _Autopilot_ was illuminated on the dashboard as were other buttons. She itched her left wrist slowly, a thin gauntlet hugging her arm; _DOCILE_ blinked within the small screen. Curiously, Shego turned in her seat, gazing down the small aisle, the cabin door open.

An android with glowing eyes stared from the back, safely strapped into the seat. It's head turned towards her gaze, remaining still thereafter. Shego shivered: The thing was somewhat disturbing in the dim light. It's dark metal and black fabric (which had covered the joints) blended in with the shadows, a detail that was only added to the unsettling sight. Her eyes became fixed on the windshield, however, once splotches of water began drizzling across.

"Oh _God_ ," she hissed, putting her hands to the yoke. _Autopilot_ was then diminished from overhead, leaving Shego to bear the travel on her own. "Just what I need," she growled, "a storm before a storm before a _storm_." She scoffed once the android hummed, turning its head towards the drizzling weather through a small window.

"What else can be thrown at me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a bit of a filler... Not much action, I know. Enjoyed writing it anyway.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading it!  
> :)


	4. Catch of Fate

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

With the strong German squabbling quieting in the distance, Kim and Ron sat on a pile of rocks - together - as they felt along their charred clothing. The blond sniffed before grimacing at the musky charcoal odor. "Why can't any of the criminals be causing trouble at a nice coffee shop? Why is it always in a run-down building, or a volcano...or a mountain?"

Kim, with a small smirk, shrugged. "I'll have to agree with you on that one." There was a pause as she flicked a small coat of soot off of her shoulder. "Why can't partners in crime finish their homework?"

Ron frowned at the small jab. "I'll get it done, K.P, I _promise_. I even pinky-promised on the way here."

"Alright, but this is the last night until I watch you do it."

"You won't..." Ron mumbled.

"Oh, I will," Kim retorted. "It's not that hard of an assignment. We're literally just writing a page for it." Her friend nodded, repeating his promise to haul is own for the assignment. "Anyway, I can't wait to just go home. We had to miss practice for this, and I think at some moments I'd rather be arguing with Bonnie than dodging rouge fire-balls."

"Yeah, I agree. This mission really got my blood boiling." There was a meek, wide smile as Kim rolled her eyes, Rufus - who had been snuggled in a large pocket - poking his pink head out to groan. "Oh come on, it wasn't _that_ bad."

Kim only sighed before being abruptly interrupted by a quiet hum. She pulled out her Kimmunicator, finding Wade clicking rapidly across his devices. "Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"

There was a final, rough jab against his keyboard before the kid looked at the screen. _"It's Shego: She's in New York at a heavily-guarded office. There's somebody - or some_ thing _\- with her."_

"Right now?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Wade answered quickly, too focused on his own computer screens.

The ginger furrowed her brows as Rufus and Ron scrambled off the rock pile. "Hold on, you said some... _thing_?"

_"It's a robot, like a droid. I analyzed its components and I can't see inside it, but it has a shell made of tungsten. And I checked Shego's claws while at it - they are too, with three inches of it."_

"We have to go there now?" Kim began to feel the rush of adrenaline coming; it was a good feeling right before a mission. "Do we have a ride?" Wade nodded, pausing as the loud beats of a helicopter came overhead.

 _"I don't think the 'chopper will be able to get you in time to stop her from stealing it, but maybe you can catch her on the way out."_ The kid cleared his throat as Ron began to make his climb up the rope ladder.

"Kim, you comin'?" the blond shouted over the spinning blades' whine.

She nodded before turning back to her Kimmunicator. "What building?"

 _"I'll give you the directions after I drop the call. The pilot already has them too..."_ His frown deepened with concern. _"She's breaking into a building owned by Voltaire."_

"What?"

 _"Yeah... That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, get on the helicopter and I'll tell you more when I get some information."_ Kim nodded before the call ended, prompting her up the ladder. As she reached the edge, Ron was already buckled, Rufus safely tucked in his buttoned pocket. The door was slammed shut, Kim too buckled in.

She turned towards the pilot as he flashed her a smile. "Thanks for picking us up."

"Naw," a hoarse voice came from the gruff-looking man. "After all, you did just keep the artillery blueprints from Professor Dementor's hands, _and_ helped save my house from a flood. Really, it's my thanks."

"Oh," she said politely, "it's no big."

Ron tapped her on the shoulder as they began to race across the sky. "What did Wade say about Shego? I only heard New York." The Kimmunicator buzzed, Wade having sent a map of the building, including the blueprints of the whole structure. "Isn't that the one that was built some years ago?"

"What?"

"The building - Cashier-Enterprise - the one that manages some of the imports and exports for the U.S.S Navy." Kim widened her eyes; immediately she thought of Shego stealing weapon plans. As she continued to gawk at him, Ron explained, "My dad worked for them, remember? Before he moved to Middleton." There was a pause before he murmured, "Do you think that's what Shego's after - some of the same stuff that Dementor was just trying to steal?"

Kim let out a weary breath. "Maybe. I hope not, at least. Hold on, I'll get Wade so that he can dig into it a bit more." Rufus poked his curious head out, watching as Kim retold the new information - verbatim - to Wade.

 _"I'll get on that in a sec. Hold on -_ yes _, I have it. The owner of the building is still under Voltaire's name, but the guy who's the corporate manager is...uh, Derek Jameson. Does that sound familiar Ron?"_

The blond nodded slowly. "I could've heard it once or twice. My dad didn't work in the highest division, he was working with one down in Virginia - not with the Navy, though, just some facility for electricity."

"Alright." Wade took a moment, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his chin.

Kim furrowed her brows. "Have you heard of the name before?"

 _"No. Well, might've on the fly when looking up some stuff for the Navy, but nothing that would ring a bell."_ The kid remained thinking. _"It's just...James Voltaire and Derek Jameson sound fishy to me."_ Both Ron and Kim blinked at one another.

"Do you think that it's some sort of alias?"

_"That would definitely explain why 'James Voltaire' is off the charts. He may not be a legitimate person, but Derek Jameson certainly is."_

Kim shook her head. "That wouldn't really make a lot of sense. If Derek Jameson really owns the buildings - all of the casinos we've been looking into as well - then why would anybody accept that name and not his own?"

"Yeah, that's a bit weird," Ron agreed. "I mean, I'm not disagreeing with you, I do think Jameson and Voltaire are the same person, but you have to sign all the papers and shit to own something." Wade nodded, forming several new theories in his head.

When none came within the next few minutes, the pilot intervened: "Don't mean to butt-in, _but_ if a person is wealthy enough, powerful enough and reserved enough, he can play the world in a game of chess and win - infinitely."

_"How so?"_

The pilot thought for a moment before murmuring, "You plan vividly with a furious heart when you're only a child." Kim pondered on it for a few seconds, digesting the words. It was simple: Voltaire had to be a cruel, vindictive mastermind. "Anyway," he grumbled, "we'll be at the building in a few hours."

"Thanks," Kim replied.

There was a small chuckle before, "Oh, but the pleasure's still mine, Miss Possible."

**. . .**

The vent loosened before she quietly slid it to the side. Curiously, Shego turned to look behind; the droid continued to stare ahead, unblinking. She was grateful that Drakken didn't make them look human. She then peered into the room, looking in the darkest of corners and the dim lamp on the desk. "Access the cameras," she breathed, the droid then giving out a quiet, slow _beep_. The gauntlet then switched to somewhat pixelated screens of the room beneath them, through the cameras - and droid's - perspective. With a few taps, the gauntlet blinked back to the central screen, _ACTIVE_ and then _DATABASE_ blinking in grey. The droid made the same noise once again before Shego murmured, "Get down there."

The droid paused, processing for a moment before slinking passed her and down into the office. It twisted around, looking around the room before _brr-brr_. Shego crept down. "I have to admit, you _do_ make this easier." The droid only watched her, unable to make any comment. _Let's hope it stays like that_ , she thought with a shudder. "Door," she stated firmly, pointing towards the thick metal entrance. As the droid strode towards the door - the gauntlet blinking _ACTIVE_ , and then _ALERT_ \- Shego immediately started shuffling through the files.

Even though she doubted there would be anything in the desk, she checked. There were just reports on clients and staff.

Even though she didn't expect there would be anything in the filing cabinets, she checked. Nothing - there were just plans for buildings (her heart did skip a beat for a moment, though no files were on the casino), imports to England and exports from Singapore, amongst others.

"Where oh where would those damn plans be?" Shego muttered under her breath. The droid remained staring out into the door, humming quietly as it continued to listen for any footsteps. Her clawed gloves tapped against desk. With a long breath, she sighed, "Well, better take a seat to think about it." Shego eased herself into the large armchair, feeling very pleased with the sudden wash of regality. The chair didn't even feel worn. "If I were a guy named after French Enlightenment philosopher, where would I keep all of my good shit?" Kicking her feet back, she mumbled, "In this building...well shit, now I have to think about thirty floors."

There was a click of her fingers before she blinked towards the filing cabinet. Shego searched through it once again, pondering on each building plan. There were no plans for Cashier-Enterprise. A small smile crept onto her face as she closed the drawer, setting herself back down onto the chair. Neither were any of the casino plans found. "Where oh where would a secret room be?" she hummed quietly, looking around the room in thought.

She turned her attention to the gauntlet, switching through the screens of already saved and observed data. "Like I thought," she grumbled, gazing along the several security measures, "this is the most guarded room. And all of these files are worthless." Her eyes wandered across the room. "If I were a guy named after French Enlightenment philosopher, where would I keep a secret room?"

Shego began to take note of the room, all of the paintings decorated along the walls. She cocked her head to the side - all of them were paintings of the Enlightenment. None of them were labeled. She began to pace around the room, looking closely at each of the paintings. "John Locke...Montesquieu...René Descartes...Jean-Jacques Rousseau... _Voltaire_." She jerked the painting by the frame, finding a small compartment with a lever. Slowly, it was pulled to the left, a groaning from the wall beside her grumbling in her ear.

A rectangle sunk deep into the wall, collapsing into the floor seconds after.

Shego glanced towards the droid. It stood, watching the door, still as ever. She crept into the small hallway without another word, eyes flicking about. As she became engulfed in shadows, there was a scrape of a squeaky shoe; she's heard enough expensive leather Corthays in her lifetime to know. She stood still, arms folded.

"Why are ya here, doll?" came a husky voice from the dark room, a red light blinking softly.

"Come here and find out," she snickered.

There was shifting, though no steps were taken. "Don't think it wise, now doll. You're the one who Voltaire was talkin' about - that green fire chick."

Green flames engulfed in her hands, a green glow illuminating the front of the room, enough to show the shine of the man's shoes. "I'd like to call it plasma," she retorted as the flames flickered, becoming irritated before sparks began to fly. The man staggered back as she continued to step tauntingly forward, the green energy crawling up her arms. He smacked into a long shelf, nearly toe-to-toe with Shego. "Sweet dreams," she hummed, a cruel smile etched along her lips. She pressed her fingers to his temple before surging; he immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.

She stepped over the man, and felt her around the wall for a switch. The lights hummed moments later.

The room wasn't large by any means, though the amount of computers and cabinets were many. Shego groaned, hoping that the needed blueprints would be in the first drawer she opened.

It wasn't - by the time she reached the tenth cabinet, she only began her search for casino plans. "Middleton...Middleton...Middleton...New Mexico?" Shego paused, glancing over the paper thick file; she found the multitude of papers suspicious. "I think...I'll keep that for later," she murmured, flipping through the file before grabbing what would be noteworthy documents - including the blueprints. "There we go," she grumbled minutes later, her search having led to another filing cabinet.

Her eyes flicked along the blueprint, finding one commonality that she'd found throughout her whole search: secret rooms, hidden shelves, disguised hallways.

The drawer was shut, the files folded and tucked safely in her ankle pouch.

Shego started once her gauntlet blitzed to life, _Sensing Other Forms_ printed in small font on the top. She clicked on the screen, just barely hearing other voices; Shego briefly wondered if the walls were noise-cancelling.

 _ACTIVE_ then _COMBAT_ was displayed on the small screen.

It didn't surprise her to find the droid dodging quick blows from both of the Possible team.

Nor did it surprise her that they were close to destroying everything in the room. Shego began scrambling around, shutting the secret door before opening a window with a ladder to the roof. The droid spun, finding its commander gone. It whacked Ron in the stomach before hurrying after. Shego barely heard, "Damn, that thing hits _hard_ ," as she made her way to the roof. Gravel crunched under her steps.

Shego groaned at the sound of the window closing, two more joining the roof. "Get back here, Shego! You aren't supposed to be here!"

She turned around to find Ron pointed his pistol towards the droid, and Kim glaring at her. A twisted smirk played black lips. "Neither are you, Princess," she snapped. The droid started forward, charging after the blond whilst Kim hurled herself towards Shego. "Eager, are we?" Shego mocked, earning a punch to the shoulder.

"Yes," was a simple answer.

"Well, I don't have time. You'll have to show me _later_ ," Shego barked, kicking Kim in the gut before shoving her against the droid. She wanted this fight quick and easy. Drakken wouldn't appreciate the documents lost - or a broken droid. The machine immediately pounced on the girl. Shego dusted herself off, watching the brawl. She didn't expect the shot from a pistol - attempting to tear through the fabric of the droid's shoulder - to recache off of the metal.

She snarled once the bullet whipped passed her shoulder, bringing her to the ground.

Shego gripped her shoulder a cursed, looking over the flesh wound. It wasn't deep, though it tore through her cat suit. The sky grumbled above her, announcing a dreary night. She looked over towards her right, Ron shakily aiming his pistol towards the droid. With a sigh of defeat, he dropped it, unwilling to miss again. Shego frowned: He was clearly alarmed, eyes wide and worried.

There was a short noise - a mix between a grunt and a shriek - that exploded from the brawl between Kim and the droid.

Emerald eyes widened as Kim struggled to scrape her feet against the ground, a strong, metal grip around her throat. "Stop," Shego snarled, receiving no reaction. " _Stop_!" she snapped, louder against the coming wind. The droid continued stalking towards the edge of the building, dangling Kim over the crowded, night street many stories below. Shego didn't even realize she was hurling herself towards the machine until her shadow pounced onto the ground beside the droid, her claws smacking against the small, deactivation button on the neck. The droid paused, though continued to buzz dangerously. There was no thought, only the pounding of her heart in her ears. Shego tore through the metal easily, and pulled out the button.

With a crater in the back of its neck, it began to crumple, loosening its grip around the heroine's neck.

There was a shriek - Shego didn't know if it was Kim's or her own - before the thief launched herself off of the droid and swung to catch the falling body. She grimaced at the long, reddening lines along the exposed stomach, her black glove pressing against pale skin as gently as she could. Shego yelled out, the two sliding down the building as she dug her other hand into the frame. Once skidding to a halt, she looked back down to Kim.

In her cradle, Kim hung like a ragdoll. Shego grunted as she felt her shoulder begin to tear more. Holding the younger one close, Shego hurled herself up the building. She sneered once her claws hooked the top of the building, only to glide back down as if the metal was only butter. "Come on..." she whispered, taking another great leap that seared her calves and shoulder.

But she made it.

Kim dangled over her shoulder as she clambered her away up, her right arm always having a tight hold around Kim's waist. She gently laid the ginger on the ground, her lungs scorching with the need for air. Shego collapsed to her knees, glaring lividly towards the droid, it's hollow, black stare remaining to the sky.

She turned towards the figure standing stock-still mere feet away. The blond didn't move as Shego carefully stood up, pressing her index to her lips. The hush melded with the growing wind. The droid replaced Kim over her shoulder before Shego fled, launching herself off of buildings and onto others, searching desperately for the small, black private plane.

Emotions swirled wildly through her skull, going haywire; pure anger seethed through her veins, mad rushes of adrenaline and confusion leeched off of her brain while tiredness settled on her body, the sharp pain of her shoulder becoming more unbearable. However, the pounding in her ears was her aggravated heart, the one thing that she had been feeling for months surfacing: fear for a life - not her own. Shego stopped, a stern scowl watching the lights blink on within an apartment building.

 _This isn't a game, it's a gamble_ , she thought grimly, _she shouldn't be involved._

**. . .**

She was starting to wake from her blank drowse when there were warm droplets running down her cheeks. Kim sat up, groaning, her hair plastered to her head. Ron - who knelt beside her, Rufus on his lap - grinned at the sight. "Are you okay, K.P? I was worried there for a few."

"What...what happened?"

Immediately his grin - which Kim realized to be one of relief than carefree - vanished. "T-that droid, or whatever it was, nearly killed you."

"What?" She felt her voice grow hoarse. Kim gripped her neck lightly, remembering the cold, metallic grip that was planted tightly around her skin.

"Yeah, it was going to throw you off the edge," he numbly explained. "Are you alight?"

The ginger nodded vigorously. "I'm going to get her for this...I never thought that Shego would-" Kim paused, furrowing her brows. "Wait, did you save me?"

"No." The answer was plain and simple. Rufus padded his way down, climbing onto her lap. "Shego did. It was like she went ballistic, honestly. I- She tore something out of the droid, and it dropped you to the edge... Then she caught you. At first I thought - I thought you fell with her, but she scaled the building." He blinked at Kim, his skin growing to a ghostly shade. "You were right about her Kim. Her new gloves dug right into the framing of this thing - and she ripped through the droid with a clean stroke."

Kim turned about. "Where is it?"

"She took it with her." The sky grumbled, ending the rain of questions. Instead, Ron said, "We need to get home."

"Yeah..." Kim gritted her teeth as she picked herself up, her bones and joints sore. The blond folded his arms, watching the sky dully. "What are you thinking Ron?" she asked as she neared him, Rufus perking on her shoulder. "Ron?"

"I feel like we're missing something...with this whole thing and Drakken," he answered, then, "and Shego," as an afterthought. "Like...we _really_ don't belong in this."

Kim frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...remember what Drakken said that night, before the casino was being done?" She nodded. "He said," Ron continued, "he said like it 'wasn't _our_ game anymore'. I don't know, but I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this. Like, why hasn't the Global Justice contact us about it? Did you get anything from them?" Kim shook her head quietly, beginning to feel the acid bubbling in her mouth; Ron was right - there was something darker than they expected going on. "I don't know, Kim, but I don't think we're fighting something that's about building robot ticks, or-or stealing some other weird thing."

"But that doesn't mean we can't stop it. We can get upgrades and more people on our side," Kim replied, assuring. Though, she didn't feel assured herself. "Look, we're already in this mess _and_ invested in it. I think it's a little late in the game to back out."

Ron sighed, slowly nodding his agreement. "I suppose you're right. But I don't think we can take risks anymore K.P, not like how we have before. I don't know what we're expecting here. I don't know if I'll almost loose you again..."

"You won't loose me," Kim promised. "Trust me, we'll get out of this unscathed." The shared, hesitant smiles weren't as promising, though the helped fill the nervous void. There were beats of wind thereafter, the helicopter landing down slowly. She jerked her head before the two of the moved off, eager to just get home and climb under warm sheets.

**. . .**

Ron waved her a good night before heading into his house, leaving Kim on her own porch. Sluggishly, she walked in, closing the door behind her. Both of her parents were in the family room, watching the television with blank stares. Anne was the first to notice Kim shuffle across the hall. "Honey! Where were you, I thought you said you'd be back by nine!"

"We had a surprise as we left Mexico, in New York."

Her dad turned; "Are you alright, honey? You sound tired," he asked, concerned.

Kim nodded, mumbling, "I just need to go to bed after a quick shower. That's all - it was tiring." Sluggishly she made her way around the house, taking a quick shower, the water burning against shallow burns and scrapes. It was only after - in her bedroom mirror - when she analyzed her stomach. Gently, she glazed over four long cuts that had bled, her skin around an angry red (until the shower, that is). They curved evenly, and weren't deeper than what a cat's would be.

After she had clambered into the helicopter, neither Ron, Kim nor Jack - the pilot - spoke a word. By then, she was too engrossed in her thoughts, looking down at her long blemishes. Kim remembered how soft the clutch was, how carefully placed the black glove was against her side. Of course, it had dug into her skin, scratching along it; but Kim couldn't stop wondering just how deep the scratches _should've_ been, though weren't.

Even the long, trailing tears down her left arm were light. Kim frowned: She thought that Shego's grip would be hot - _molten_ , even - not frigid.

 _Why did she save me in the first place?_ The thought swam through her mind. There was no answer to that other than, _Just because..._ That irritated her. It wasn't like Kim could just _ask_ Shego.

With a final huff, Kim shrugged on a shirt over her shoulders before hauling herself into bed. Everything was confusing, just as it had been for the past few months. The only thing was, with that night, it made everything more muddled. Kim didn't even know what to think before she drifted into a sleep, one that her alarm couldn't wake her from, but a rough shake of the shoulders and, "Come on, honey, you need to go to school in thirty-minutes!"

**. . .**

When the bell rang, Kim found herself actually _excited_ to eat lunch. Her brain needed a break from school and just thinking in general. Once her binders were put away, she began striding down the hall with purpose. Perhaps she would eat the mac-n'-cheese, or maybe the bean and cheese burrito. "Hey!" Kim paused before spinning around, even though it could've been meant towards anyone. Though, with Jason jogging from the water fountain, she found that wasn't the case.

She smiled before drawling, "Hey."

The gesture was returned. "I missed you yesterday towards the end. Did you get sick or something?" Kim shook her head before diving into the cafeteria.

"No, Ron and I were on a mission... Did I not tell you?"

He arched a brow. "What?"

As we slide into the line, Kim explained, "Basically I had this online service where people can have me do jobs for them - stuff like babysitting. It somehow escalated into stopping some crazy professor at a volcano in Mexico from stealing blueprints."

Jason's eyes widened. "What? That's what you did just yesterday?"

"We also went to New York to deal with a thief." Both spooked at the voice from behind, Ron smiling as Rufus waved from his shoulder.

"You go with her?" Jason blinked.

The blond nodded as they began shoveling foods onto their plates. "Yeah, somebody's got to keep her safe." Kim cleared her throat before rubbing it at the base, the ghost of the tight grip still haunting her. "That, and it's good to have a buddy with you... Normally it's in the city but sometimes we go a bit away."

"Well that's cool. Seems to keep you two busy," Jason mumbled, looking at Kim's arm closely. "Did you get burned?"

She blinked to her arm, the edges of Shego's scratches showing. Swallowing, she instead muttered, "Oh, yeah. Though I didn't get burned as much as Ron. He was teetering over the edge of a volcano for a minute or two."

"Oh shit man," Jason turned towards the other, "you okay too?"

Ron waved it off. "Oh I'm fine. Ruined my shirt a bit, but that's it. I can easily get more black turtlenecks..." He chuckled for a moment. "It's kinda funny. We both wear turtlenecks and cargo pants, but Kim's pants went out of stock."

"Don't remind me."

"And now she has to wear dude pants," he finished, chortling as she rolled her eyes.

"And you reminded me." Jason chuckled along, settling at their table.

Once the small laughter died off, Ron sighed. "Which reminds me, K.P? When is Wade going to fix that suit you have? It's been since December."

"I know. I have to talk to him to get it done faster, just so that I don't..." They locked eyes, recalling the four trails that now itched against her shirt. "Maybe he'll be able to get it done by then."

Jason - once done sipping his drink - asked, "Wait, so who's Wade?"

"Our tech guy." Kim raised a brow as Ron shrugged. "Well he _is_."

"I don't think 'tech guy' gives him justice. He essentially organizes everything and gives us the where-to and know-how."

"Oh." Jason nodded slowly before a hand slammed onto the table. Rufus tittered irritably as Ron gave a brief scowl.

Bonnie, however, flicked her hair, leaving Kim to roll her eyes. "So, _Jason_ , would you like to join us at our table? It seems pretty boring over here." The ginger felt a small grin twist along her features - Jason wasn't buying it. He stared at her blankly, confused with the abrupt intervention. Bonnie wasn't ignorant of it either.

"Uh...no? I mean, you can join us but this table's kinda fun. Get cool stories from what goes on in Kim's life, right?" He looked over towards her with a small grin.

Kim smirked, feeling a small blush form. "Yeah. You have to admit, Bonnie, my stories have a lot more variety than just Brick." The cheerleader scowled, stalking away with no other comment. Behind her stood Monique with a satisfied smile.

"What did I miss?"

"Not much. Bonnie's just trying to get with Jason again," Ron answered through his meal. All gave a few chuckles as Monique sat down. Two pairs of eyes drifted towards one another, leaving Jason and Kim to give a few laughs meekly. The other pair exchanged looks before giving their own, knowledgeable snorts.

**. . .**

The droid was slunk over the edge of the table, falling to the floor in a crumpled pile merely seconds later. The scratches were minor throughout, few needing special attention other than just a simple buffer. Dr. Drakken's dark eyes, however, remained fixed on the crater at the back of the neck. "Shego..." he said calmly, a strange twinge lacing his breath. He didn't bother looking towards the shadows were Shego lurked, having retreated once interrupting his work on the other droids. Instead, he blinked to his side at the soft groan of the original prototype, a long, red slash across his worn-metal chest. The prototype - marked with CS-01 - walked towards the woman. It cocked its head to the side, jerking defensively when she raised the gauntlet abruptly.

Dr. Drakken continued analyzing the broken droid, his gloved hand glazing along the torn-out hole. "Where's the deactivation button?" As she stepped forward, his scowl deepened. "Never mind - _Prime_! Hand me that part!" he commanded. The droid took a moment, watching Shego's hand blankly. Eventually it gripped the part before striding towards the scientist. The part was ripped out of its hands, Drakken then typing along his own, black gauntlet. "Why did you take it out? Now I'll have to spend another _three hours_ at least to fix it!"

"It wouldn't've taken three hours to fix a broken body," she snapped, stepping further into the light. "It also didn't respond to the signal!"

There was an arch of a brow. "What do you mean by _that_ , Shego?" He ignored second comment.

"You need to fix their system. We can't have Kim thrown off the roof because the droids don't know their limits!"

"What?"

Shego scowled. "You heard me."

Dr. Drakken tapped his fingers against the table. "So you ripped out it's deactivation system because a little girl was going to fall off a building?"

"She isn't a little girl, _especially_ since she's kicked your ass more times than you can count."

The man snorted, folding his arms. "I've never actually thrown punches at her, you have."

"Doesn't matter," Shego spat. "You have to have something else in case something like _that_ happens again - on the gauntlet. I'm not having Kim - or anybody else, for the matter - die because of a fucking pile of metal and wires."

"Guess what," Drakken snapped, "how many people die? One sacrifice for this little war isn't going to be a big thing." Shego's expression grew violent as he continued. "If the droid ends up killing either of the team, so what? They shouldn't be in this mess anyway."

He found himself sprawled on the floor, his feet having trampled over themselves as he scrambled far away from the table. Never had Drakken seen the vile glare that Shego bore down at him then. "Do _not_ talk about death like that, _EVER_! I know people die. I _know_ wars have sacrifices. But guess what? We're not the side trying to kill here. We're trying to keep them away, keep the _deaths_ as low as possible."

"Why do you care? Let me remind you that _you_ were a wanted bounty hunter before my work," he growled acidly.

"And why do you think I left that life?" Shego snarled. "Fix your damn droids, or I'm melting all of them. I mean it Drakken. If they try to kill her again, I'm setting fire to this whole room."

Her heels clicked against the floor dauntingly as Dr. Drakken scrambled his way up, almost seething. "You wouldn't dare," he barked. Shego halted at the door, shaking hands clawing into the frame. As she turned, he felt a chill run down his spine; her quiet anger almost glowed against the shadowed room, expression blank. It was only the glassy eyes against her pale, green-tinted complexion that made her look remotely human.

"I have the power to turn off the brain before people can even see the whites of my eyes - and I've done it, countless times." There was a shaken breath before she growled, "You fix those droids, they'll be untouched. Have them give Kim a measly scratch, and I'll destroy this room and everything in it - machine or flesh."

Drakken watched as she turned her back to him, solidifying the most violent threat he had ever received. His eyes lowered to the droid at his feet, a silent plea to complete her wish drifting across his thoughts.

Immediately, he set to work.


	5. Night of Pause

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

Unlike the rest of the lair - where the walls were sterile and the floors a murky grey - the room was clouded in a hazy, dim light which had barely stretched far enough to cover from the door to the small window. The room was fashioned more alike the fonder, better appreciated lair in the mountain (before it was ultimately blown-up). While the walls weren't coated with the warm paint, the wooden furniture sufficed. A bed that creaked whenever a mouse skittered across it, which was heard multiple times, was shoved in the corner, leaving space to simply stand in the small room. Everything was cheap within the walls, though that only reflected the time spent within it. However, it still was better than all the others that bore resemblance to a doctor's office. That, and then there was the additional bathroom.

She hissed from the bed, emerald eyes wincing through the searing pain in the mirror. Shego tensed as the soft rag grazed her shoulder once again, which hadn't healed from the night prior. Of course there had to be grime - after all, the gravel had peppered her whole suit before, during and after being shot. It had been several minutes at that point; she couldn't believe she'd even the audacity to wriggle in her attempted sleep, hoping that it would heal quicker.

Shego gasped sharply, her weak voice seemingly bouncing off the sides of the room.

With a small smile, she wearily leaned against the wall of her small bed, feeling her skin churn with a warm tingle. In the mirror, she watched as her skin sewed itself together, right before her eyes. Shego thumbed over the white rag - now blotched with violent reds and greys - before tossing it towards a basket in the corner.

Leaning forward, the woman grazed her left shoulder gingerly, still feeling a sting. Standing up, Shego crossed her room, shuffling through her drawer behind the long, standing mirror. She only made it back to her bed with a roll of bandages in her hand. Minutes passed as she carefully wrapped herself with the white bandages, the cold air brushing against her bare skin. As her ministrations slowed, her gaze paused more and more towards the long, black ink snaking down the side of her body. Small tally-marks - twenty in one row - were stacked, each carefully drawn with precision.

_Twenty..._

Shego ripped the bandage, giving the last fold before placing the rest of the roll on the side table.

_Forty..._

She still felt the rain against her skin, the shriek echoing in her ears along with the furious pounding of her own heart.

_Sixty..._

If only she didn't throw her to that damn droid, kept her punches hammering at her own face. Shego scowled, a fist curling against her knee. If only she were more careful, they wouldn't have had to meet on the roof.

_Eighty..._

Or did she feel sorry? Did she feel any guilt over having her hands ball against her stomach, equally fiery green eyes watching her every move?

_One-hundred..._

Shego furrowed her brows firmly, eyes trailing along the line of tattoo. She wondered if eyes trailed along her body as did her own, watching muscles flex from the exposed naval while legs aimed a powerful kick to her shoulder.

_One-hundred-and-forty..._

The lines began to dance under her gaze, in the dim light; Shego almost felt the delicate strokes of gentle fingers against them - almost.

_One-hundred-and-eighty..._

Each tally's shriek haunted her memories, begging her not to. _Please don't, I can't._ Then there was the _I have a..._

_Two-hundred..._

The tally-marks halted abruptly from behind the black pants at her waist, trailing further down her thigh underneath. Shego sat there, her heart hammering and mind pounding in a long-lasting line of conflicting battles; life didn't have the heart to give her only just _one_. She growled, glancing towards the clock on her wall. It was nearly three.

With no means to sleep any longer, Shego slipped a simple, white shirt over her head before stepping through the door. It slid to a close behind her as she stalked through the halls. All was silent - as it should during the dark hour of the morning - leaving her footsteps to be hushed as well. Though, within a few minutes, Shego heard a voice from doors down. She walked towards what was Dr. Drakken's small cubicle of an office. When she strode through the cracked door, the woman found him sitting on his small couch, eyes plastered to the projector on the wall. With an all-too familiar droid in the corner of the room, Shego stood, watching the film in the background.

Her stare focused on bright green eyes, the small grunts and whimpers of struggle wriggling in her ears uncomfortably. Shego didn't need to see the tungsten grip around her throat, the busy street's glow around the footage; all she knew was the anger and confusion clouding those green eyes, the lines of her face growing weaker before the camera abruptly jerked with a scream.

She felt her arm raise before a static burst of light bellowed throughout the room, the projector then exploding horrendously. Dr. Drakken yelped before slamming to the floor, the droid's memory chip in his grasp. "For fuck's sake, _Shego!_ You nearly killed me!"

"What the hell were you doing watching that?" she snapped in turn. "Why aren't you working on something important?"

"I was trying to analyze the commands that the droid had to purposefully hold her over the edge of a building!" he retorted, wringing his neck nervously. "You didn't have to destroy the blinkin' projector." The doctor wheezed before standing up, brushing the dust off of his jacket roughly. "Which actually reminds me, we can't have you using your powers for a while," he grumbled. Shego arched a brow. "We can't have you going to the opening with green skin. You have to lie low for a while - _we_ have to, actually."

"I get it, Dr. D," she sighed. "So what do you expect us to do, sit here for two months?"

"Exactly. We have to take the right precautions." Shego nodded slowly, easing herself into an armchair. "Do you have the plans for the casino?"

She bobbed her head again. "And some files on New Mexico." Dr. Drakken gawked, eyes widening. " _Relax_ \- I didn't take the actual folders of either of them. They won't know what we took."

"But Voltaire will know we were there, Shego! Did you meet any guards?"

"A big facility with plans for the military..." she mumbled, adding harshly, "well, what do you think?"

The man flopped back onto the couch with a groan. "Shego! Now he'll know we know something and check! And _don't_ say he won't know. Of course we'd be checking for the casino."

"Not New Mexico. Completely different storage units. Hell, I didn't even know he had a base there." Dr. Drakken shrugged, watching her carefully. "I know what he's trying to do, by the way."

The doctor arched a brow. "And what's that?"

"Underground metro that connects all of them. The one in New Mexico's the oldest, and has the most information on it. I think that's where he's keeping all of the more confidential stuff." She tapped against the arm of the chair, brows furrowing. "We need to see what's there, what he has, _anything_ that would give us more leverage."

Dr. Drakken shook his head, waving a hand. "Not now. We need to get back the leverage we had. So no powers for two months, remember? Your skin."

"I _know_ ," she snapped. "And I wasn't saying now either. I'd need somebody else to go with me. Not a droid," Shego said sternly, "not something that can get hacked."

"Junior?"

"No," she sighed, "too clumsy. I can't risk that."

There was a soft squeak in the distance, wheels running against the floor. "Well never mind that now, there's no need to focus on what we don't need at the moment." The doors opened as a small cart - automatically operated - rolled into the room. "And besides, I don't think mentioning it to Stag now would be good." Shego only remained silent as a small television switched on, the cart halting before them.

Stag, in the same chair, grumbled to a voice off the camera before turning his attention to them. _"What's with the back-up desktop?"_ was his greeting.

"Well, just in case there are technical difficulties," Dr. Drakken pressed, his quick glare darting towards Shego. "Anyways, we have the files. We know how we're getting out of the casino."

The man on the screen nodded, sipping on a small glass of whiskey. His mask was perched on the table beside him, his mane-like locks and the lighting of the room his only form of disguise. However, a scrap of light managed to reveal a startling grey eye and his gaunt, pale cheek. _"Good. I have news too... The place will be heavily guarded, not surprisingly. That's just a given."_ Stag inhaled slowly, shuffling through what had to have been papers on his lap. _"Voltaire will actually be there - at the ceremony."_

The doctor and his partner paused, staring at the screen. "What...what do you mean by 'be there'?"

 _"What do you think? All I know is that he'll be there,"_ Stag snapped. _"Shego,"_ he then turned towards her, _"you'll have to be careful. If he didn't recognize you before, he'll now. I don't know why he's going to this ceremony in particular - he never has in person - but I suspect it's because of the files."_

"Why are the files there in the first place?" Shego asked. "I mean, why wouldn't he just go to New York and stash them there?"

Stag shrugged whilst Dr. Drakken pondered to himself. _"It could very well be that this is above him, as well. You know he's only a henchman - a top henchman, but one nonetheless."_

"Of course..."

"And Shego's disguise will be covered," the doctor commented. "Her skin will be completely normal by then," he added. Stag nodded, though didn't push any further.

 _"Now,"_ Stag eased himself back into the chair, _"about those droids..."_

**. . .**

Kim waited, lounging with her phone as Ron jogged off, waving down his mom's car. Rufus - perched on his shoulder - waved frantically, which was returned. Students filed off, away to their cars and the weekend ahead. She briefly looked around once there was a shove at her shoulder. "Haven't got your driver's license yet?" Bonnie tittered, her bag slung over her shoulder.

"I've just been busy, you know," Kim sighed, going back to her phone. "Now why don't you go to _your_ car, or is Brick still driving you around?"

Bonnie scoffed. "He gives me more ride than you'll ever get," she growled.

"Is it as quick as going to the ice cream shop?" Kim asked with a smirk, gesturing towards the small, white building just a cross-walk away. Bonnie opened her mouth to retort back, though only can manage a scowl.

"Still more than you'll ever get..." she grumbled after a few moments. Kim rolled her eyes, drawing her gaze back to her phone. More students bustled passed, brushing against the two girls. A ring eventually sounded over the laughter from the groups further out the parking lot, Bonnie shuffling through her pocket. "Hello?" she asked once fishing her phone out. "Oh, hi Uncle Derek. Yes, I'm still looking for a job... You found one? What is it- What do you mean we can't talk about it now? You're the one who called me."

Kim frowned, lifting her head from her phone.

"Okay...so where do I meet you then?" Bonnie folded her arms, ignoring the few students as they rushed towards the parking lot. "Okay, see you in ten then."

Once she stuffed her phone back into her pocket, Kim asked, "What was that about?"

"None of your business," Bonnie snapped before storming off. The ginger stood, dumbfounded.

However, her odd twitch in her gut quickly dissipated when she heard her name. She turned around, finding Jason walking from a red Jeep as it pulled away. "Hey," she grinned.

"Hey," Jason repeated. "You talking to Bonnie?"

"Yeah. Just the routine exchange," she answered. "So, anyway, you doing anything tomorrow?"

He shook his head. "Actually, I was about to ask you that. There's this place I just found out about down the road. Something like...nacho..."

"Bueno Nacho?" Kim smirked.

"Yeah! Well, okay, I didn't _just_ hear about it, but Ron suggested going there as he was chasing his mom's car."

"Did she stop for him, just out of curiosity?"

Jason let out a short snicker before nodding. "She yelled at him for not taking the trash out this morning." Kim nodded, finding the story not something rare for Ron. "Anyway, do you want to go with me? And just walk around to see more? Haven't really been out with all the homework and my dad's stuff."

"Of course. Tomorrow at five?"

Jason grinned, saying a mellow, "Cool."

**. . .**

Their quiet laughs rang cheerfully down the sidewalk, Jason's hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes watching Kim. She bore a light grin as she relayed yet another exciting mission, which the boy didn't seem to get enough of. "And...his pants fell again." She paused to give a row of chuckles, Jason smirking.

"Did you ever tell Ron to invest in a belt?" he asked. She shook her head, giving a short shrug.

"Maybe I should. It could be his Christmas present, actually." Jason chortled before glancing around, gazing along the shops that hugged the street.

He itched the back of his head before stating, "You know, I've only been here since the beginning of the semester, but I think I like this place more than the others."

"Really?"

Jason nodded. "It's a quiet town. And then there are the other bonuses." Kim giggled once her eyes caught his. "Oh, look!" Jason pointed towards a store at the corner. "I've been wanting to check out that costume store. D'you want to now?" Kim nodded before his hand joined hers, guiding them across the street to the store. "Hope you don't arrest me for jay walking," he chuckled.

She eased a grin before murmuring, "I'll let you go this time." As they strolled to the doors, some customers - rare this time of year - walking out. Once in, Kim looked around with a swarm of nostalgia washing over her. "I remember when my dad brought me here before Fourth of July. It was to scare my mom since she pranked him a week prior."

"Did you guys get a mask?" Jason asked, looking at the long rows of cluttered costumes, all hanging with empty sockets.

"An alien one, I think. That or a weird animal mask."

"Like..." Jason murmured, dashing into a corner. Kim chuckled, following him to find an empty hall. She frowned, looking around before a figure popped from the corner of her eye. Its eyes gleamed horribly, sunken within its metal face and bolted smile. She jerked away with a yelp, her heart hammering as she felt the cold, merciless grip around the throat. The mask morphed into the faceless, emotionless gaze of the droid, dark clouds ominously hanging behind it. Her heart began to pound, harder and faster against her ears as she felt the chilling fingers continue to close around her throat. It was only when she heard a scream - her name - when her heart skipped a couple of beats.

"Kim?" Jason repeated, softly, slipping the mask off of his face. The teen hero stood, stock still, plastered against the wall with a gaze of horror spread across her face. She looked stricken as he set the mask down, looking at it closely; he'd only picked up the closest off the shelf. "Kim? Are you okay? I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Her voice came out hoarsely: "That's okay..."

"Are you sure? Do you have something against robots that I should know about?"

With her hand gingerly rubbing her neck, Kim weakly corrected, "Droids..."

"Oh." He frowned, looking around the store. "We could walk through the park and get you home. You're neighborhood isn't far, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks," she mumbled. The two quickly flowed towards the doors, a bell jingling loudly. Kim gripped her arms, watching the street nervously.

Jason cleared his throat, his blue eyes watching her cautiously. "So what's wrong with droids? Do you have a fear of them?"

The ginger shrugged. "I don't know... I might." Jason frowned, tilting his head to the side. "It was a couple of weeks ago. Remember those burns I had after that one mission?" He nodded. "Well...after that, we went to New York for a break-in, and they had a droid with them."

"And...what happened?"

She breathed in slowly, her breath shuddering out seconds later. "It almost killed me." Jason gawked, concern deep in his eyes. "It was holding me by my throat over the edge of the building. Luckily...it was destroyed before-"

"Before you fell," he finished.

"No," she shook her head. "Before I was caught...by Shego."

"Wait, the thief for that one doctor? I thought she hated you..."

"She _does_." Kim sighed, feeling the wet grass underneath her shoes. "I just- She's always been the one to say that- _She's_ supposed to be the one to get rid of me." Jason only nodded - after all, how would one even come close to understanding her life? "But, I don't know. I haven't seen her for- Well, since that night. And before that, months ago."

"It sounds dangerous," he noted. "Kim...are all of your missions like this?"

She shook her head with a grimace. "Not like this, no. But they aren't usually safe either. Normally, though, it's just fixing some device or saving a train from derailing. Anything goes."

"Opening a pickle jar?" he tried with a grin. Kim managed a smile, her worries slowly melting away.

With small comments here and there, the two managed to stroll up the sidewalks, making their way to her street. The porch light flickered once the two stepped to the door, Kim with her hand on the handle. "I had fun tonight, even with the whole... I had fun," she said with a smile. "So, thank-you for that."

"No problem. I had fun too anyway," Jason replied with his own grin. "But...does this mean we'll have another fun time?"

"Sure."

"Cool." He glanced around in thought. "Next week, then?"

Kim smiled before nodding slowly. "It's another date then." Jason chuckled before shuffling with his feet awkwardly. "What's up?"

He perked before shrugging. "Dunno... It's really nothing, just, not sure whether or not to..." The ginger smirked as a small blush crossed his cheek, his fingers fiddling with he collar of his shirt. "You know," he mumbled, continuing on, "kiss you?"

"What a gentleman," Kim chortled. He grinned meekly, an oddly youthful expression crossing his features - almost one of a nervous, little boy. "Well, you can."

"Really?" The question was sudden, speaking Jason's internal shock. Kim giggled, nodding as he grinned happily. He leaned forward, giving a small, quick peck. Once stepping a few paces back, Jason shrugged. "Well, uh...so next week, right?"

"Yeah, next week," Kim echoed, watching as he began to stride back to his car. Even if the kiss was swift, she still pressed her fingers to her lips, watching as Jason jogged from the house with a spring in each step. The door opened before the his car rolled off, marking the end of a swell night. As she readied herself for bed, Kim's mind wasn't on men with philosopher names, nor the long scratches across her stomach - though they still were irritated. Instead, it was a promise of a quiet summer with the occasional hero-work, and brothers messing with her toothbrush.

Even when she threw it in the trash after fishing it from the toilet, Kim couldn't help the small grin across her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, I know... But hey, nothing really happening in this chapter. On a side note, this will probably be the last update for a month, just so I can focus on stories to clear out some room. Then, after that, we'll get down to missions, teen stuff and - oh yeah - maybe some Kigo. ;)


	6. Raises and New Jobs

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

Life without using an ounce of her glow was a nuisance at best. Shego didn't even realize just how much she used her little green flames until she couldn't. Now she had to dry her hair the old fashioned way, win her way through arguments without physical threats and fight the henchmen without a chance of frying their hair. Of course, Shego was able to do all those things very efficiently and effectively, but the mindless play with her hands was difficult.

Even before getting struck by a damn comet Shego fidgeted. A _lot_. Tapping of a pencil, cracking of knuckles—you name it. And during her time of diminishing her flame for a little while, those old habits that haven't been practiced in ten to twenty years resurfaced.

In her dark room, Shego shuffled around, stuffing anything that she needed into a black bag. And with a quick zip, she slung it over her shoulder and shut the door firmly behind her without another glace. She didn't care for the room anyway.

The halls were fairly quiet as she roamed, some of the henchmen giving their polite grumbles as she walked passed. (They were all the ones that admitted she had kicked their asses during practice.) It wasn't until she reached a large, main room with several different machines and vehicles sat where she was stopped. "Shego, where are you going?"

"Trying to find you, actually," she replied, looking across the enormous room. Dr. Drakken was fixing his black gloves as he walked to her.

"Okay, what?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?!" He appeared panicked. "I'll give you a raise! You can have a little vacation! I'll pay your raise during the vacation! Don't leave me during this though, _please_!" There were dark circles under his eyes, which was common whenever he didn't argue but rather bribed.

Shego rolled her eyes, but pondered. She could get a raise out of this. "What are we talking about here?"

"Uh, erm…" He frowned, scratching the back of his neck. "Forty more bucks an hour?"

"Alright. But I'm going to my apartment for two weeks," she agreed. It wasn't like she was going to leave him anyway.

The scientist nodded firmly, adding, "Right. And when you come back, no more...no more little bitchy things." From her stare, he knew he wasn't going to get that. But of course, a man had to try. " _And_ , while you're gone, keep an eye on—"

"The casino. Right."

"No, I'll do that with Stag," Dr. Drakken said. "You keep an eye on Kim Possible and her little possy. Got it?"

She worked her jaw but nodded. "Fine. Until then, I expect my check weekly with my mail and you to not pick me up. I'll come to you, got it?"

"Alright! Okay. What did I say about the little bitchy things?"

"And what did I say? Nothing." Dr. Drakken grumbled, but still bade her a fair night with his teeth gritted. She gave a simple wave, and stepped out into the mouth of the liar. The city was in the distance, glinting yet quiet. It was barely after twelve, after all.

Shego jolted at the brush against her leg, blinking down to see a familiar face: the black tom. "What do you want?" It blinked up at her with great, orange eyes, then rubbed his jowls against her calf. She sighed, scooping him with an arm. He hung limply before she stuffed the cat in her back, allowing his head to poke out from the top. "You're just a little fucker, aren't you?" she growled as she trekked down the steep slope, marching her way off the small mountain. "That should be your name," she grunted, sliding down a patch of rough rocks. "Lil Fucker. Beats any other rap name that I've heard," she comments.

The black tom shifted in the back, giving a soft mewl. The stumbles and near-falls were terrifying for him, after all. But, at the end of the day—or rather, at the end of dawn—he'd be safe at a new home.

**. . .**

She gave a startled, heaved breath when she awoke—across a city from Drakken's liar—and tried to blink away those sickening, green eyes. Kim gripped her throat, the cold, heartless grip still haunting her skin. At that point, she knew she couldn't sleep. Not for a long spell of hours anyway.

So, she did what any teenage hero would do and called the Kimmunicator. Instead of a _Good morning_ , or a _Good night_ , she got, _"What?"_

"What's going on?"

 _"With...with what?"_ Wade asked through a yawn.

"With Drakken! Shego!"

He blinked at her from the screen, half-heartedly glaring. _"At twelve-forty in the morning? Dude, nobody's going to be asleep aside from us and the people who work gas stations."_

"Well...is there anything?"

Wade blinked at her miserably (and, to be frank, anybody would too if they passed out in front of their computer system). _"...okay, I'll check now."_ He tapped across the keyboard, furrowing his brows.

"Well?"

 _"Jesus, give me a sec, Kim. I'm trying to_ breathe _without collapsing here... You do know it's twelve-forty-one, right?"_ Kim scowled, but got her answer anyway. _"Yeah, I do. Shego walked out of there."_

"Out of where?"

Wade gave another yawn. _"Their lair. She also kidnapped a cat."_

"Wait, what?"

_"Yeah. A big fat one. And Drakken's watering his flowers now."_

Kim rolled her eyes. "No, the lair. You know where it is?"

_"...I always do."_

" _What?_ "

_"Well...bye Kim."_

Before she could retort the screen went blank, leaving her in a silent, still frenzy. She'd get Wade to explain later. (After all, it'd be useful to know where lairs are before ever having an issue.) Sighing, Kim fell back to her bed with a huff. After many long minutes, she decided to pull out her laptop and drain her energy away watching videos. It wasn't until a couple of hours before her alarm went off when she fell asleep once again.

**. . .**

Somehow, Kim managed to be the first and only one at the table. Monique was fixing her make-up in the bathroom while Ron and Jason where still in line, getting their food. Kim sighed, taking a small bite of her mashed potatoes. The cafeteria wasn't as crowded as it usually was, to the point where she could almost distinctly make out each and every one of the tables' conversations. Including Bonnie's (though it wasn't difficult to begin with).

"Oh my god! You got the job?" her friends giggled.

Bonnie, setting down her fork before flashing an irritatingly arrogant glance towards Kim, said, "Of _course_ I did. Uncle Derek gave me it, why wouldn't he?"

"Isn't he that rich, handsome one?" a blonde asked, batting her eyes.

As much as Kim didn't like Bonnie, she sympathized with the brief flash of disgust. "Well, _yeah_ ," Bonnie continued with a smirk, ignoring her friend's apparent obsession. "And I'll be rolling in cash too!" she boasted.

"Girl, you have to tell us where you work!"

"Yeah, like, what are you going to do?"

At that, Kim frowned; Bonnie was hesitant in her answer. "Well, I can't tell you yet. It's opening over the summer. And my uncle said not to bring people from school because it would distract the, uh, customers."

And her friends didn't even bat an eye. Instead of a fleeting, snarky glance, Kim received a nervous one, checking to see if she was still listening. As Bonnie hitched a smirk to save her ego, her blonde friend said, "Oh, that makes sense. Too bad we can't see you work. It would've been so fun!"

"Yeah! We'd bust on in and embarrass the fuck out of you," another giggled. "In a friendly way."

"Oh, whatever! You won't get a chance," Bonnie replied.

"And..." Kim snapped her attention to the boys as they sat down. "Got our food," Jason said. "Where's Monique?"

"Maybe in line. Oh, yeah, there she is." Kim briefly pointed to where Monique was, grabbing her tray.

Jason briefly pressed a quick kiss against her cheek before diving back to his food. She grinned a little as he asked, "So why were you watching Bonnie? Did she say something?"

"Well, no. Not to me at least." Kim snickered. "She was gloating about her new job. Said she'd be rolling in dough."

"And you don't believe her?"

Kim snorted. "No. Of course not. She didn't tell her friends. I think she's working a corner, dressed like a chicken with a sign, or something." The two laughed beside her as Monique sat down across from Kim.

"What'd I miss?"

"Oh, Bonnie got a new job," Kim murmured, somewhat gleefully. Before she could add on, her pocket buzzed. With her Kimmunicator out, she asked, "Wade? What's the sitch? Anything on She—"

 _"No, nothing on Shego or Drakken. They're just doing nothing. I don't even know where Shego went."_ The screen turned to an address, and live footage of a restaurant. _"Just some bandits terrorizing a burger joint. You can catch them."_

"On it," Kim said, standing from the table. "Ron, let's go."

"Okay," he grumbled, shoving the last bit of his lunch in his mouth. "Ready!"

"Which burger joint, again?" she asked, looking to her Kimmunicator. Before leaving the lunch room, Kim turned to Bonnie's table. The cheerleader was looking over her shoulder with a false, smug grin. Kim waved with a teasing smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back (even if momentarily)! So I have two chapters here. Not very long, either of them, just because they don't have much going on in comparison to some others.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!  
> :)


	7. Sunny Days

**_No One's Perspective_ ** **_-_ **

They cackled as a rope crashed through the ceiling, creating a quick exit. Kim scowled, then bolted towards the center of the lobby. She didn't have time to deal with these petty bandits. Quickly, she shouted over her shoulder, "Ron! Your pistol!"

The blond jerked his attention to the ceiling. "Where?" She threw a small, purple canister, and Ron then understood. In a flash, he raised the firearm and two shots rang in the air. The first missed, instead alarming the goons as they climbed the rope. The second one, however, lead to a quaking explosion, snapping the rope and sending the three men down the floor. Dashing towards the pile of groans, Ron watched as Kim grappled her way to the roof, surely meeting with the last bandit. He assumed that the bandit was sprinting across the roof based on the heavy _thumps_ and crashes.

Ron turned to the three goons, who swore under their breaths. "I'll be taking that, thank-you," he muttered as Rufus jumped off of his shoulder to snatch a bag of gems and jewelry from their clutches. With a horrendous smack from above, he looked to the sky. "K.P? Everything good?"

Her head popped out from the side of the hole. "Yeah. Just knocked him out," she called.

He chuckled. "With what?"

"Trash lid."

" _Jesus_ , K.P! When you said you wanted this done quick, I didn't think you'd get like _that_!" It wasn't long until Kim Possible was back down in the lobby, with the fourth bandit taken care of. And not a spell of time thereafter, she was on the Kimmunicator, sighing in disappointment.

_"Honestly, Kim, we're probably just going to have to wait until it opens. Everything seems to have died down now so..."_

"Well," she asked, somewhat hopeful, "when does it open?"

Wade double-checked his screen. _"In just a few months. July 15th or 16th. It's not all that clear."_

"Okay... Thanks Wade."

 _"No problem,"_ he said before the screen blinked to black.

"Trying to get information, again?"

She nodded. "I don't get it? It's like they _are_ waiting like us. Just...why?"

Ron shrugged and offered, "The casino is probably the best bet then." Kim pursed her lips, though murmured in agreement. "What?"

"I just...don't get it. That's all." Wiping the puzzled expression off her face, she turned to her friend with a grin. "Are you ready for the beach now?"

"Am I ever."

**. . .**

The sun beamed from high above the cloudless sky. The heat mixed with the fresh breeze from the water, Kim felt gleeful spending one of her last few weekends before summer break at the beach. The only thing that she needed was a drink. "I think there was one by the resort," Jason said, pointing to the left.

"I'll be back, you want anything?" she asked. Both Ron and Jason shook their heads. "'Kay, won't be long." As she trudged through the sand, filling between her toes, Kim saw a small hut serving food and drinks. The line wasn't long, to her surprise.

"Alright," the bartender directed to another customer as Kim walked towards the counter, "what do you want miss?"

"Just a margarita," a woman answered. Kim frowned. Her conscious was tugging.

"That all?" the man asked.

"Yes." There it was again: that honeyed voice, and then the _husk_. Where had she heard that before? She spared a look to her side, only to find a woman she didn't know. It didn't stop Kim from keeping an eye on her. The woman wasn't wearing an extravagant bathing suit, it was actually rather plain. Kim couldn't fathom why she couldn't stop blatantly staring, even if the black bikini was like what every other girl wore. Perhaps it was her smooth, tan skin, or the long black hair that flowed with volume. Her eyes snaked along a tattoo curiously; she'd never seen anything like it. It was just columns of tally marks that highlighted the curves of her body, which was something to be admired. Not ogling like the men at the bar, of course.

"Alright young lady." Kim jumped, and looked to the bartender. His gaze was barely able to take their eyes off of the woman as well. She couldn't blame him; Kim acknowledged the woman's beauty just as much. "What do you want?"

"Just a mango smoothie, please," she asked, adding a gentle, polite smile.

"Coming right up," he said with a nod. As he began to mix his drinks, Kim felt her eyes drift back towards the woman. She was momentarily stunned to find deep, unsettling hazel eyes analyzing her. Kim felt a small blush cross her cheeks. The woman wasn't beautiful. She was alluring. Captivating. With her strong features and body, Kim completely understood why everybody couldn't help but steal glances.

"What are you doing here at the beach?"

How could a question leave Kim suddenly speechless? "I... I'm here with my boyfriend," she stammered, "and...er, friend." The woman gave a soft smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and cocked a brow. Somehow, Kim felt herself relax. The woman didn't seem so foreign anymore, nor as intimidating.

"Oh? That sounds nice. It's a good weekend to get out of the sun," the woman continued.

"Ma'am, here's your margarita," the bartender said, handing a glass over. The woman blinked towards Kim once again, and leaned closer to the man after a quick thought. She murmured quietly in his ear to which he looked between the two of them. He nodded and muttered, "Will do! Five more then." The woman set her cash down, and began to walk away. As she did so, once again Kim caught her eye. She winked. Kim remained puzzled as she watched the mysterious woman walk away, hips swaying enticingly.

"And here's your smoothie."

Kim jerked. "Oh, thanks! Here's—"

"Don't need to. That lady paid for it."

She frowned in puzzlement. "Oh...really? She—"

"Yup," the bartender chuckled. "Shoulda known. Didn't pay any mind to the other guys, but when a pretty lady like yourself comes." He finished with a round of soft laughs as her cheeks beamed red.

"Oh...she didn't need to... Thanks for the smoothie." She trudged back through the sand, sipping on the free drink. It tasted sweet, in short. Jason and Ron were both lazily sitting underneath the umbrella.

"Can I have some?"

She nodded, and handed the smoothie to Jason. "And you two can have some too," she muttered, answering Rufus' and Ron's unsaid plea.

"Thanks," they both said at once.

As Kim sat beside Jason—who handed the drink over—she noticed the few heads turning towards one direction. She didn't need to guess. The woman was lounging in her chair, sipping her margarita. From where she was, the ginger could barely make out the tattoo along her side. "Who's that babe?" a young man asked, chuckling with his friends. Both Ron and Jason turned towards the woman.

"What do you think?" Kim murmured quietly.

Jason shrugged. "Not my type. Especially compared to you." She smiled at his grin, and felt his lips briefly catch hers. For a fleeting moment, she wondered how the woman would feel... Kim immediately eradicated the thought from her mind.

"Yeah. I think she's kind of cute though," Ron said. He turned towards Kim with a bemused smirk. "What about you?"

"Oh...she's nice."

"You better start looking out, Jason!" Ron laughed.

Her cheeks flushed as she muttered, "N-no, I mean—" She turned to Jason, who teetered as well. "Seriously, I-I think she's nice. She paid for the drink."

"Really? That is nice," Jason approved. "Is she a friend?"

Kim shook her head. "No. But I did think she sounded familiar for a moment, like somebody from school?"

"Probably. Or somebody related. That and I've helped a lot of people around here."

"Could be why she gave you the smoothie," Ron said.

"Yeah!" Rufus agreed.

With one last look towards the woman, Kim bobbed her head. "Most likely," she murmured, her mystery solved. "Alright, who's ready to hit some waves?"

"Me!" Jason answered, smiling.

"I am!" Ron hopped up with Rufus on his shoulder.

Kim grinned. She couldn't think of a better, sunnier day than this to spend her weekend.

**. . .**

_"And you let her go because...?"_

"I don't know!" Drakken sighed, huffing as he slumped in his chair. Stag groaned, hands to his mask as he mirrored the doctor's posture. "I'm trying to call her now, and she won't pick up!"

_"Maybe because she's on a fucking vacation you dumbass."_

Dr. Drakken scowled. "She'll be back, okay? _And_ she usually answers if I call her enough."

Stag crossed his arms. _"And how many times is that_ _usually?"_

"Uh..." Drakken shifted uncomfortably, and muttered, "Ten," under his breath. The man on the computer screen didn't catch it; it wasn't like he _needed_ to, anyway.

 _"But why did you let her go in the first place?"_ Stag pressed.

"I don't know! Maybe because she needed time to complete her transformation," Drakken growled, staring at his phone. "God, why isn't she picking up?"

Ignoring the complaints, Stag asked, _"What transformation is this again? She's a natural at disguises, why would it be taking her a few months to do this?"_

"You said that Voltaire would know what she'd look like, wig or not," Dr. Drakken answered pointedly. "She can't do what she normally does. So, she isn't going to use her powers so that she could go back to how she looked before." The silence on the other end beckoned for clarification. "Do you really think she looked green all her life?"

_"Well...yeah. A little bit."_

Drakken shook his head. "She'll be here in a week or so. Just...we have to wait. You'll know what to find, I promise."

_"And you'll tell her about our plan if anything happens? If there's a trap?"_

He nodded determinedly. "Of course, of course."

_"Alright. I'll trust you this once, got it?"_

"Yeah. Got it." Without so much as a farewell, Dr. Drakken was left alone with a phone. He sighed, and put the device back to his ear. "Come on, Shego! What are you doing, tanning in the middle of the night?"

**. . .**

The hotel room was black, filled to the brim with shadows. The only light that had managed to cascade into the space was from the large blinds covering the main window, and the small square one in the bathroom. While there was barely any light to be seen, if you listened closely enough, the room was busy with noises. A phone was left on the bed, buzzing with a string of messages and calls. They were ignored, masked by running water from the showerhead and quiet, guttural groans.

Her grip on the shelf in the shower was iron-tight, knuckles paling as breaths grew more continuous, melding into whimpers. She'd forgotten what it was like to hold everything back. Her body never stopped burning. In the shower, the woman felt the steam rising from the water hitting her skin; the shower nozzle was at the coldest she could make it.

"Kimmie," she moaned quietly, her other hand working through the pressure. There was a sickening snap. The woman hissed, the shelf—or what was left of it—slicing through her skin in cracked pieces.

She needed an outlet, something to sooth the building-up of heat. Sleep, swimming and sex were the very few things that successfully suspended her raging cosmic energy for a while. She couldn't sleep, however, with the thoughts bubbling rapidly through her conscious. And she didn't want to bump into that creepy swim fanatic again at the pool. So, that left her with one option. With a grunt, though, she internally swore to herself. At first she tried to think of the lifeguard, or a past hook-up. "Fucking—" She was close, teetering over the edge. Her vision blurred—like it would've mattered without any light—as her fantasy played, fingers curling through red hair once tugging off cargo pants. Of all the people in the world, why—

"God, damn it, _Pumpkin_..."

There was a cry before she went to her knees, trembling. The quivering hand that had broken the shelf laid itself on the tub's surface, red leaking with the water to the drain. And the other still kept pumping until a final moan. "Fuck," she whispered. When the stopper of the drain drummed, blocking the water's only exit, she jumped.

After a long few minutes, she remained there, facing the water without a reflection weakly glaring back at her. Why would the woman ever want to see her face? With the mirrors hung all over the room, all she could do was shut off the lights. And to hear herself, calling out for— The woman swallowed her internal sin, thankful for the running water drumming against her ears. As she continued to stare into the black shadows, the water rising just above her wrists, she felt another feverish wave come about her.

It settled to her hands. "No...no, _God_ , no," she whined, tears dripping into the water as it had been for the past near-hour. A glow surged at the bottom, revealing the white surface and the water flowing with a shade of red. It was dimmer than before, though she didn't want to bring herself to climax again. She didn't want to bring herself to the reality that it was easy, swift. She didn't want to imagine deep, meadow eyes looking up at her as Kim continued to...

She didn't remember bringing her hand back to the throb between her legs. It wasn't until a long, satisfied moan that she even realized her fingers were there.

Swallowing, the woman continued, hoping that her glow wouldn't sink into her carmel skin, nor bleed through her hazel eyes. She continued to groan, call out a name that she cursed herself for; it shouldn't have felt natural along her lips this way, but it did.

Her hope, thereafter, was answered. The bath was drained and shower shut off. She didn't bother aiding her hand aside from a quick rinse and dry. Before long, she slumped back into bed, wondering just how many times she'd have to do this. Her eyes stung once sheets were pulled to her shoulders.


End file.
